Fight like Lions and Snakes
by Bianca.T.Sparrow101
Summary: Sequel to 'From Devil to Angel' but can pretty much stand alone. Different summary: it's time for the next generation to head to Hogwarts and make their mark. Romance will flourish, jealousy will give the ultimate push and both Kara and Zachary discover they have more in common with their mother than they thought - in very different ways.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**I'm such a twat. Dumbledore's dead, isn't he? Woops. Anyway, McGonagall is headmistress in this one. And this first one is from Phoenix's POV but the rest will be her kids. Or Scorpius. Also, I'm not sure if it's genetically possible for these kids to look like they do so let me know.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter. I do own Phoenix, Kara, Zachary and Cecelia. And this little plotline.**

"Kara, Zachary, we are going to be late!" a thirty year old Phoenix Weasley yelled up the stairs of the six bedroom manor she lived in with her husband and three children. Her sleek black hair was pulled back in a French plait that fell over her left shoulder and her emerald green eyes were sparkling manically as she raced around the first floor of the manor looking for Kara's AWOL cat. She was wearing a dark purple satin shirt tucked into a black pencil skirt with purple heels, which weren't easy to run in. She finally tracked down Missy, the imaginatively named cat belonging to Kara, under one of the living room couches. Arms wrapped around her waist from behind when she picked the tabby cat up.

"I know that animal was more trouble than it was worth," Fred's voice said in her ear. She smiled.

"Leave her alone," Phoenix scolded playfully.

"Mum, dad, we're going to be late!" Kara and Zachary mocked from the living room door. Phoenix rolled her eyes and turned around to see her twins. Phoenix liked to tease Fred about the fact that she clearly had the stronger gene because the twins were more like her than him with darker skin that wasn't quite as dark as hers and black hair. Kara had placed her hair in a high ponytail and Zack had styled his to look artfully messy. They did have Fred's brown eyes and his attitude, which Fred loved to tease Phoenix about. Despite being different genders, they were completely identical in every other way.

"Daddy!" cried a younger voice. An eight year old girl ran into the room and straight into the waiting arms of Fred. She had more tanned skin than Fred but wasn't as dark as Kara and Zachary and she had the bright Weasley hair with Phoenix's eyes which were filling with tears.

"Now, Cecelia, you'll get your chance to go," Fred said soothingly.

"But I want to go now!" she protested, burying her face in her father's chest. This had been going on since Kara and Zack had received their Hogwarts letters.

"Right, you can protest in the car. Let's go, let's go!" Phoenix urged. Kara and Zachary led the way out, dragging their trunks behind them. Fred followed, still holding Cecelia and Phoenix brought up the rear carrying Zack's owl, Mister (she really couldn't fathom the way her children's minds worked), and Kara's cat which she'd abandoned on the floor. Fred placed Cecelia in the back seat with the twins and she immediately latched onto Kara who rubbed her arms soothingly. Phoenix got into the passenger's seat because she hated driving the large white Land Rover and Fred loved it.

"We're off to the see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz," Kara and Zachary sang in the back seat. Phoenix laughed and Fred began singing along. They drove through the streets to Kings Cross Station where Fred expertly parked.

"I still can't believe I passed a muggle driving test," Fred said gleefully as he got out of the car.

"Fred, you confounded the examiner," Phoenix pointed out, dragging the trunks out of the boot and handing them to their respective owners.

"So did Ron!" he protested. Phoenix laughed and kissed his lips lightly.

"Ok, no need to get defensive," she teased then walked to get trolleys for their kids. When she returned, Zack and Kara dumped their things onto them, including Cecelia onto Zack's trolley and led the way into the station. Phoenix and Fred followed with Fred arm around Phoenix's shoulder and hers around his waist, looking every bit the happy couple that they were.

"Look who it is!" said a cheerful voice coming up beside Fred and Phoenix. They both turned to see a beaming George with his arm around his wife Angelina. Their eleven year old son, almost George's double, was walking along next to Kara, Zack and Cecelia and they were all talking animatedly.

"Hey George," Phoenix greeted with a wide grin.

"Mrs Weasley," he returned which caused Phoenix to beam so widely that the other three thought her face would break. She loved being called Mrs Weasley.

"In a way that is completely different from our mother," Fred said in a relieved voice.

"Our children are already on the platform," Angelina pointed out. The four parents quickly raced after their children through the wall onto Platform 9 ¾. There, they found them talking to the Potters, the Malfoys, Uncle Blaise and the other Weasleys.

"Uncle Harry, what was your first year at Hogwarts like?" Kara asked her uncle eagerly. Harry's bright green eyes smiled at her from behind gold rimmed glasses. His hair had been slightly tamed with what Phoenix assumed to be gel but still had its old messiness. Ginny, his wife, stood beside him and gave a very unladylike snort at Kara's question. Her red hair was curled and hung below her shoulders and she was wearing a very attractive skirt, top and green leather jacket ensemble.

"It was very . . . interesting," Harry answered. Hermione, who was standing nearby with her son, daughter and husband, laughed loudly. Her hair was slicked back in an orderly bun and she was smiling slightly.

"That's one way to describe it," she retorted then went back to fussing over Rose and Hugo, both with bright red hair and freckles. Ron watched with an affectionate smile.

"Aunt Phoenix!" cried a boy's voice and Phoenix grunted as someone slammed into her. Looking down, she saw the tell-tale messy black hair of one of the Potter boys. Brown eyes turned to look up at her and she saw Albus who would be going into his first year at Hogwarts.

"Hey Al," she greeted and hugged him back. When he pulled away, he looked nervous and tugged Phoenix away from the group who were now saying goodbye.

"Aunt Phoenix, I'm scared," he whispered quietly. Phoenix smiled kindly.

"Why are you scared, champ?" she asked, brushing an annoying piece of hair out of his eyes.

"What if I'm in Slytherin?" he asked and she suddenly understood the point of asking her and not anyone else. It was because she had experienced both sides of the spectrum.

"You know, Slytherin isn't just made up of bad guys. I was in Slytherin. Uncle Draco was in Slytherin and so was Uncle Blaise. And one of the men that you are named after was one of the bravest men this world has ever seen and he was in Slytherin. And you are Albus Potter! Your parents are Harry and Ginny Potter! No way could you possibly be bad," she assured her godson. He nodded shakily.

"Thank you, Aunt Phoenix," he whispered and she smiled, pulling him into a hug.

"Now get your butt on that train and go to Hogwarts," she ordered jokingly. He nodded and pulled away, joining the other kids. Goodbyes were said then they all got on the train.

"We'll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat!" Kara and Zachery called happily. Phoenix's eyes filled with tears and they spilled over as everyone waved. Cecelia was crying once again and gripping her father's leg like a lifeline.

"They're just like you," Phoenix sobbed proudly. Fred gave her a look as his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"If they were like you at eleven, I'd be worried," he joked and she smacked his arm lightly.

"You make a very good point," she said snippily and then giggled when Fred looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I think you just admitted I was right," he said and she raised her eyebrow, snuggling into his chest and waved until the Hogwarts Express vanished around the bend.

"I'm just waiting for the first Dumbledore letter," Phoenix said cheerfully. Fred beamed widely.

"I can't wait!" he cheered.

**I know, I know. It's just an extended version of the paragraph in the previous epilogue. But the next chapter isn't, I swear! Love Bianca :) x**


	2. Sorting

**Chapter Two**

**I am so shocked at my standard of writing. This one isn't too bad. The next one is, just warning you. And I know James and Albus are actually older and younger brothers in the book but I changed it because, well, I can.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter. I do own Kara, Zachary, Cecelia and this little plotline.**

Kara Weasley watched nervously as all her friends and family were sorted. Scorpius was the first of them to be sorted. His typical Malfoy-blonde hair was flopping across his forehead adorably. She remembered her mother once telling her that Uncle Draco had gelled his hair back and made a face at it. Kara was thankful that Scorpius didn't do the same. He had startling eyes that were the perfect copy of Draco's – making a lovely grey blue colour. He had pale skin but it wasn't as pale as Uncle Draco's thankfully. All in all, he was a very attractive boy. Kara watched anxiously as he perched on the stool and a professor who had been introduced as Professor Flitwick levitated the Sorting Hat onto Scorpius' head. She noticed Aunt Hermione watching nervously from her position beside Headmistress McGonagall. She must have apparated after the train had left. The hat landed on Scorpius' head and deliberated for a short while, providing Kara the opportunity to raise her eyebrows. His father had been placed in Slytherin instantly, according to Uncle Ron (which was followed by a small snort). She guessed that hesitation was what happened when you had Weasleys and Potters as aunts and uncles.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat announced and Kara huffed slightly. She knew that Slytherin wasn't a bad house, particularly after the Final Battle but Scorpius was so brave and loyal that he deserved Gryffindor. A couple of other people were sorted until someone else she recognised was called.

"Potter, Albus!" Flitwick called. There was an outburst of whispering around them and Kara rolled her eyes. Albus would be uncomfortable with all that attention but he bravely walked up and sat on the stool. He may not have told her personally, but Kara knew he'd spoken to her mother about being sorted and he was nervous. The hat barely hesitated.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it proclaimed and Kara found it in her to clap for her cousin.

"Potter, James!" Flitwick called and James, the cockier of the set of twins, swaggered up to the stool and plonked himself down on it.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled and Kara cheered again. She fidgeted with her sleek black fringe as the rest was up in a ponytail. She was getting more nervous by the second. But she had a while to wait until it was her turn. She watched as many familiar names were sorted into houses but there were others who were not old enough for Hogwarts that she missed, like Luna's daughter or Neville's (Professor Longbottom) son.

"Weasley, Kara!" Flitwick called her and she began hyperventilating. Zack reached out and squeezed her hand assuredly and she nodded, walking as confidently up to the stool as possible. Her parents assured her it didn't matter what house she was in and she would stand by that although her father would have an aneurysm if she was in Slytherin if it happened. She lowered herself into the stool and found Scorpius' beautiful eyes looking at her carefully and sending her confidence. She smiled once before the hat fell over her eyes.

_Ah, a Weasley/Zabini. Now that is certainly intriguing. Where to put you? Your traits are of all the houses. Now to find the strongest one._

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled and Kara almost fell off her stool. The Gryffindors began cheering loudly for her and she skipped down to sit beside James.

"Weasley, Rose!" Rose walked shakily up to the stool and sat down nervously. The hat fell over her eyes and everyone waited tensely for the verdict. Surely she would be a Gryffindor. Both her parents were Gryffindors.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted and the Ravenclaws yelled happily. Kara clapped her hands until they hurt. Rose was the brainiest person she knew besides Aunt Hermione and it fitted that she was in Ravenclaw. Aunt Hermione was practically crying with happiness as her daughter sat down.

"Weasley, Zachary!" Flitwick called and Zack waltzed up to the stool and sat down so carelessly that he almost fell off the stool. Kara rolled her eyes. The hat took longer with him than it had with her. She practically chewed her fingernails off as she waited for the result. James placed a calming hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off and stared with wide eyes at her brother. What if he wasn't sorted? What if he was told to leave? Oh Merlin, she'd never been so scared, not even when Uncle Blaise wore that clown mask that was the reason behind her intense fear of clowns.

"SLYTHERIN!" the hat finally yelled. Kara froze as the Slytherins began cheering. Zack took off the hat and strode over to the Slytherin table and high fived Scorpius. Kara looked on numbly. Her twin had been sorted into the house that was once seen as the enemy of the house she was sorted into.

"What just happened?" she hissed to James who shrugged.

"Roll with it, Kara. He's happy," he pointed out and she nodded. She knew that Zack didn't care what house he was in. Their group would all remain friends anyway.

XXX

"Hey, Gryffindork!" Scorpius' voice yelled down the corridor. Kara gripped her wand tightly but didn't react in any other way. Instead, she continued down the corridor to the Great Hall for lunch. Scorpius had adopted the nickname for her and enjoyed teasing her about the fact that she wasn't in the same house as her twin. It was funny because his best friend was her twin. It was a week and a half into term and the only reason Kara hadn't hexed Scorpius into oblivion was because Zack had always been around to stop them both killing each other. It was like, seeing as they'd been sorted into 'enemy' houses, they had to act like enemies. Now that Zack wasn't around, walking away was her best option. She noticed her twin entering the corridor from the direction she was heading in and his eyebrows rose as he noticed who was there. A hand reached out and gripped her wrist and she was spun around to face Scorpius.

"Malfoy, let me go like a good boy," she snarled. She had an inkling of what Uncle Draco was like in school and it wasn't a good inkling. It looked like Scorpius was heading in the same direction.

"I just wanted to talk, Kara. Keep your knickers on," he joked and she glared, pulling her arm away.

"Scorpius, I really wouldn't," Zack warned as he finally reached them. He was watching his sister apprehensively. It took all of Kara's little self control to start walking away.

"Hey Kara!" said a new voice. A muggleborn by the name of Maria walked into the corridor with a wide smile. She had curly brown hair that reached her waist and she used a white headband to keep it out of her bright, electric blue eyes. Her skin was relatively tanned and she was about an inch shorter than Kara.

"Looks like your sister is turning into a blood traitor, just like your father." That's when Kara (and Zack) cracked. Kara whirled around and shot a perfectly aimed Bat Bogey Hex at Scorpius' face whilst Zack hexed his hair to turn a vivid pink, just like Uncle George had taught him. Kara punched Scorpius on the nose for good measure then turned to walk away. Headmistress McGonagall stood at the end of the corridor with a furious expression.

"All four of you in my office. Now!" she barked and they followed her sheepishly.

"Mum's gonna kill us," Kara hissed to Zack. He shrugged.

"Ah well, it was bound to happen sometime," he said and continued walking to their doom.

XXX

_Dear Kara and Zack_

_You, along with Professor McGonagall, expect us to be furious. On the contrary, we're proud. We don't appreciate you two fighting but Scorpius did provoke you in a way reminiscent of his father, who I have already lectured. Scorpius should be receiving an angry letter from his mother any day now. Zachary, stop taking advice from your Uncle George. You're trouble enough on your own. Kara, Ginny says she's thrilled with your aim and that you'll be a great chaser or seeker some day._

_Please try and keep the fighting to a minimum unless someone says something you really don't agree with._

_We love you._

_Mum and Dad._

Kara looked up along with James and Albus who had been reading over her shoulder and looked at the Slytherin table. Sure enough, Zack was laughing his arse off as Scorpius looked extremely sheepish at the letter in his hands. Kara caught her twin's attention and waved the letter at him. He quickly came over and read it, a wide smile appearing on his face.

"We attacked him and he gets into trouble. I love our parents," he said simply then went back to Scorpius to laugh at his friend some more. Apparently the pair had made up after Scorpius apologised. Kara had yet to receive one but she expected it soon. She grinned and began replying to her parents with the eagle feather quill Aunt Hermione had given her.

**Well that's another one. It is 9am on a day I don't have to go into school and my friends are not morning people apparently. Except for the one that is showered and eating breakfast. Love Bianca :) x**


	3. In the forest

**Chapter Three**

**I wanted to update this morning but fanfiction decided to be funny and not quite work. Just a warning, I don't think you're going to like this chapter. I'm a sucker for drama, so there.**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter, I do not make money from this and I am not JK Rowling. I do own Kara, Zachary and anyone else unrecognisable.**

On the night of Halloween, Kara was nervous. She'd received a note from Zack asking her to meet him in the Forbidden Forest which was strange but she would do it anyway. Kara assumed something was wrong with him. She pinned her glossy black locks in a large hair clip and ran out of the castle dressed in her Gryffindor uniform with her tie loose the way her mother had shown her. The night was dark and the autumn air was slightly chilly as she made her way over the slightly damp grounds. The full moon's light bathed the grounds with a beautiful white glow and provided a way for Kara to see where she was going. She moved quickly, wanting to get to her first Hogwarts Halloween feast and indulge in the rich food described accurately to her by Uncles Ron, George and Blaise. Her dad had also informed her of the tradition of a big Halloween prank and she had expertly caused all of the pumpkin pies to explode at lunch.

"Zack?" she called out quietly as she reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Nobody answered but she looked at her watch, seeing she was late. And Zack was always on time. She crept over the line of trees, officially entering the dark foliage. Her foot landed on a twig and it snapped loudly, echoing through the darkness. She jumped about three feet in the air but continued walking, still calling out for her brother. Her mum would kill her for entering the forest but her dad might have commended her. There was low growl nearby and Phoenix gave a quiet squeal as she whirled around, drawing her wand from her sleeve. She didn't really stand a chance as she was a first year but the wand helped her feel safe. She crept along the path outlined for anyone in there, most likely by Hagrid, giving continuous calls to her brother. When she looked back and could hardly see the illuminated grounds, she decided to turn back and did so. Speedily walking across the path she'd just tread, Kara kept a look out for stray roots or things that could cause her slightly clumsiness to be revealed to the forest. Just before she stepped into the light of the full moon, there was a hungry growl from behind her. Kara slowly and hesitantly turned around and looked into the starving eyes of a salivating werewolf. After what had happened to her mother when she was fourteen, Kara was not very comfortable around werewolves, not that many people were. She tried to take a subtle step backwards but the wolf's eyes followed the movement carefully.

Then she ran.

She ran like she'd never run before and she thanked Merlin for her brother making her run laps around their home quidditch pitch to 'maintain stamina'. But it wasn't enough. When she went to look over her shoulder to check how close her pursuer was, she was tackled. She screamed loudly as something sunk into her shoulder and sent her burning sensation coursing through her. There was a yell and the something was gone. Kara had dark blotches clouding over her vision and couldn't focus on anything except for the pounding in her painful shoulder.

"Kara?" said a fading voice. Nothing.

Scorpius POV

I was sitting by Kara's bed and staring at her in slight shock. When I'd seen her running from the werewolf and flagged down the nearest teacher, I had never been so scared in my entire life. She was lying on the bright white hospital bed under the covers and her skin was almost a funny grey colour. The black hair that she'd inherited from her mother was knotted and clumped with the blood that had come out of her left shoulder.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again," I whispered to her still form. It was well advertised that I verbally (and often, magically) attacked Kara whenever possible. But, as it turned out, the story about 'if they tease you, they like you' was true. I did like her, a lot. We'd known each other our whole lives and we had gotten along well. But putting us in Slytherin and Gryffindor seemed to have drawn out a hatred I really didn't like. Except I didn't hate her. And according to Zack, she didn't hate me, she just hated that I was acting like I hated her.

"What the hell happened?" Zack yelled as he burst into the hospital wing. His eyes were frantic as he looked around for his sister. When he did, his dark skin went as pale as possible.

"Mr Weasley . . ."

"NO! I want to know and I want to know now! Tell me what is wrong with my sister!" Zack yelled and I rose to stop him getting a hold of Madam Carey, Madame Pomfrey's charming replacement. I plonked my best friend down in the cushioned green chair I'd previously been seated in and gave him a fierce look.

"Mr Weasley, please calm down and wait for-."

"I'm here! I'm here! Where is she?" cried a terrified voice. I looked up at the same time as Zack and Madam Carey to see my mother and father along with Kara and Zack's very worried parents. Phoenix's hair was a complete mess, her make-up was smudged and she was wearing what looked like pyjama bottoms and a spaghetti strapped tank top with fluffy red boot slippers. Fred was wearing a rumpled t-shirt with jeans. Phoenix was the one who had yelled. Mum and dad were immediately at my side.

"Did it get you too? Are you ok?" mum fussed and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, it didn't get me. It got . . . Kara." I whispered Kara's name. Phoenix let out a heart wrenching sob and threw herself on the bed beside Kara, crying her eyes out.

"My poor baby, I never wanted this to happen to you!" she cried and Fred placed a caring hand on her back. My mum was clutching dad for dear life, having decided for herself that I was ok.

"Madame Carey, what happened exactly?" Fred asked the uncomfortable looking matron. She sighed.

"Your daughter was attacked by a werewolf," she answered and Phoenix's head snapped up.

"We are well aware of that," she snarled in a tone that made my mother's harsh tone look caring.

"What my wife means to ask is what wounds were inflicted?" Fred defended her and I watched hesitantly. Aunt Phoenix always did have a temper; it's where Kara got it from. My godmother was a force to be reckoned with. I looked at Madam Carey worriedly, wanting to know myself. I hadn't been allowed near Kara after the werewolf had gotten her and when I had been allowed to see her, she'd already been bandaged. The matron cleared her throat awkwardly.

"TELL ME!" Phoenix yelled. I saw my dad reach out to comfort her but she practically snapped her teeth at him. It was so weird that they used to date, really.

"I think that Zachary and Scorpius should leave the room for this," Madam Carey stated and I glared at her whilst Zack leapt out of his chair in rage.

"Like Hell am I leaving her!" he shouted furiously and I nodded.

"I second that." That statement got me a funny look from Aunt Phoenix and Uncle Fred along with a raised eyebrow from mum and dad. Zack just stared at me with an open mouth.

"Very well, if it is acceptable with you?" she asked our parents and they nodded absentmindedly. Aunt Phoenix looked like she was going to punch someone. Hard.

"Get on with it!" she shrieked anxiously. I was really scared, so much so that I edged away slightly. My mother gave me an annoyed look.

"Miss Weasley was bitten by the werewolf that attacked her," the matron finally said. I felt dizzy and sank into a chair I was certain my father placed behind me just in time. Phoenix let out an agonised scream which caused most of us to jump and Fred to collect her in his arms. Dad looked like he had been slapped whilst mum was crying silently. Then I let my eyes travel to Zack. He looked like his entire world was crashing to an end.

"We're supposed to be identical," he whispered and I frowned, thinking hard. That's what I did. When someone said something I didn't understand, I'd think and try to puzzle it out before asking what they meant. And then it hit me. His literal other half was now a werewolf, meaning they weren't really twins anymore. And he was wondering why it hadn't happened to him or why it had happened to Kara at all, like we all were.

"It is not your fault," Fred said abruptly. Zach just sat shaking his head slowly like he was in deep denial.

But we all knew the truth: Kara Ciera Weasley was now a werewolf.

**Yeah, I'm a mean and overdramatic author. I'll update in two days. Love Bianca :) x**


	4. First Transformation

**Chapter Four**

**Alright, you guys are lucky I'm stubborn. I woke up at 6am with a massive headache and I'm not at school because I'm not well. So, I'm updating despite the fact that the laptop could kill my head.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own anything recognisable. I do own Kara, Zachary, Phoenix etc.**

Zack sat numbly in the hospital chair that Scorpius had shoved him into three hours previously. He hadn't moved from that spot, despite attempts from his parents, his best friend and his aunt and uncle. His sister, his identical twin sister, was going to be a werewolf. The adults had since left him and Scorpius alone to go and talk to the headmistress. Ah, Scorpius. He'd found Kara and hadn't left her side since he'd been allowed to see her. Those two drove Zack nuts although he was never bored around them. But Scorpius was suppressing his feelings and, according to Zack's mother – that never went well. She said that you must always say your feelings otherwise you're screwed if something happens later in life. The hospital doors creaked and the adults returned with grim faces.

"Zack, can we talk to you outside?" his mum asked softly and Zack immediately nodded. His mum looked like she was in pure agony and he remembered that she had once been attacked by a werewolf. He followed his parents outside and they halted slightly down the hall.

"Zack, Kara's life is about to change a huge amount."

"I know, dad." His voice was cracked and broken.

"We know that you're upset, honey. But think how Kara feels." Like always, his mother had hit the nail in the head. And he felt intensely guilty because of it. He had been worrying about not being identical to Kara anymore, about her feelings towards Scorpius and vice versa, so much so that he'd completely forgotten to think about Kara and how she would feel about the bite she'd received.

"Will she hurt?" he asked, looking directly at his mother. Her emerald green eyes had dulled the way his father had once told them they did when deeply upset.

"Yes, baby, she'll hurt. She's going to be in pain for a lot longer than I was and you need to be there for her. I do not care how much she and Scorpius hate each other, despite the fact that he seems rather different tonight, you must keep them from fighting. She does not need that kind of strain and I don't want her hurting even more. Do you understand?" she demanded and Zack nodded instantly.

"I will always be there for her," he promised and both his parents beamed with pride. His father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We have to go. But look after Kara and remember that we love you," he stated and Zack nodded. They pulled him into a hug and he hugged his parents back tightly. When they separated, a question sprung to mind.

"What about Cecelia?" he asked and his parents shared the look. 'The look' was something Kara had come up with. It was the name for the expression their parents shared when they were debating something without words.

"We won't tell her just yet. She's too young," his mother finally replied, looking down at him. He nodded and hugged them both once more.

"I love you," he told them and they smiled.

"We love you too," his mum whispered and walked off with his father. Zack watched them go with a small smile then returned to the hospital wing to kick Scorpius out.

XXX

Two weeks later, Kara was finally released. She was extremely relieved although her shoulder was still heavily bandaged and she had vivid nightmares of sharp teeth and searing pain. Despite her fears of complete rejection from the school because of her new condition, the entire of the first year population seemed to have sent her get well cards or gifts, often both. They had been fully informed and, instead of rejecting her like she dreaded, they accepted her. Clearly Remus Lupin, a werewolf her parents had told her about, had made an impression on the Wizarding community and it made her smile. A couple of people greeted her in the corridor as she nervously made her way to the Great Hall for lunch. She saw Scorpius enter ahead of her and blushed slightly. He had visited her every day in the hospital wing and he was the one who'd gotten a teacher before the wolf could rip her to shreds. He was also the reason that Headmistress McGonagall, Aunt Hermione and the rest of the teacher population were questioning her constantly and why she received letters from her parents every single day.

_*Flashback*_

"_Miss Weasley, Mr Malfoy has informed us of something rather alarming about the night you were attacked," Headmistress McGonagall informed her. The older woman was seated to Kara's right and wore a worried expression. Kara let her eyes drift to Scorpius who was staring at his feet like they were the most interesting thing since quaffles._

"_And that is?" she prompted and McGonagall sighed._

"_You were holding a letter in your hand that night," she stated and held out said letter, slightly bloodstained and crumpled. Kara read through it and nodded. It was the letter from Zack._

"_Yes, I was."_

"_Your brother insists that he did not write that letter, Miss Weasley." Kara's blood ran cold._

"_W-w-what does that mean?" she stuttered, noticing Scorpius looking worried._

"_It means, Miss Weasley, that you were lured to the Forbidden Forest."_

_*End Flashback*_

She adored Scorpius for worrying but she now had to report daily to Headmistress McGonagall now that she was out of the hospital wing and all her belongings had been checked for curses, hexes and jinxes that could be dangerous. Professor Slughorn (whom Kara's mother had warned her to stay far away from) had inspected everything for poisons, even her nail varnish, and possible other chemical dangers. They were taking it overboard in Kara's opinion. But if it meant that her parents worried less and her brother stopped attempting to follow her around out of over-protectiveness, then she would take it and be happy about it. When she finally reached the Great Hall (being in the hospital wing for two weeks had damaged her stamina levels), everyone looked at her.

"Oh stop staring or she'll bite you." She looked at her cousin, James, in alarm. His brown eyes sparkled with mirth and the entire hall laughed, thankfully. Kara grinned and went and sat between Albus and James as usual.

"That could have caused trouble," she commented, munching on some pumpkin pie. James shrugged.

"Trouble is my middle name."

"No, it's Sirius. But, according to Aunt Hermione, they're the same thing." Albus laughed so hard that his pumpkin juice came out of his nose which caused James to fall backwards off the bench laughing and Kara to cover her nose in a spoonful of mashed potato as she choked on laughter. The entire Gryffindor table burst into cheers at the performance. They were a strange bunch. Once Kara wiped her face, she looked at her brother over on the Slytherin table and he was shaking his head in amusement. Scorpius was giving her the strangest look, one she couldn't identify. But it wasn't a bad look. Confused, Kara turned back to her lunch and tried to forget about the strange blonde and the skittering of her heart when his grey-blue eyes met her chocolate brown ones. It wasn't important.

XXX

The next full moon arrived too soon for Kara's liking. In the week leading up to it, she had four panic attacks and a fainting spell. She had to spend a night under observation after Rose and Albus found her rocking backwards and forwards in an abandoned corridor, muttering about bites and pain. The two days before the full moon were spent in the hospital wing again as she was too sick to do anything. An hour before the full moon rose, Kara was led to the Room of Requirement, something that apparently couldn't be destroyed, by Madam Carey. It was bare, with nothing that she could use to hurt herself and nothing to destroy and the walls looked like cushions. Great, she was in a padded cell. Madam Carey handed Kara a smoking goblet that the Weasley looked at with disgust.

"You have to take it, Kara," the matron said softly. Kara nodded and gulped down the vile Wolfsbane potion. "Good." Kara gagged slightly and the matron handed her some cubes of chocolate to get rid of the foul taste. Kara thanked her and the matron left her alone. The young girl grew nervous.

"I wish this room could provide contact with the dead. I could really use a conversation with Remus Lupin right now," she remarked sadly, staring at the ceiling longingly. The little hope she had of meeting the werewolf vanished after five minutes and she sat down grumpily but fearfully. She wished there was a way for her brother or someone close to her to be with her but, even with the Wolfsbane potion, it was too risky. Her entire family, especially James, had been ordered not to go near her, not that they could get in. And she couldn't get out - they'd made sure of that. Kara suddenly felt a tingle shoot down her spine unpleasantly and she shuddered. What was that? Another followed, then a few more. She realised it was time and stood up anxiously. It was useless. As soon as she rose, agonising pain rattled through her whole body and she screamed loudly, painfully and collapsed to the ground. Her skin felt like it was being shredded with the same teeth that had bitten her and her head was throbbing. She shrieked as violent tremors shot through her body and tears fell down her face as she felt her body change. She saw her fingernails change to claws and her veins stand out. That was all she noticed before the pain caused her to topple fully to the ground and lie there, screaming and crying as her body made the change to a werewolf. When it was over, her cries were replaced by whimpers as she curled into a ball and rubbed her snout along her furry body. The castle remained oblivious to her pain.

XXX

As soon as they were able, the Weasley's (Rose, Zack and Aunt Hermione), the Potters (James and Albus) and Scorpius were in the hospital wing and gathered around Kara's bed. She'd been moved as soon as she'd transformed back, completely unconscious, by Madam Carey. Headmistress McGonagall entered the wing briskly, staring worriedly at the girl on the bed. Zack noticed that, of all those gathered, Scorpius seemed the most distraught besides Zack himself. His best friend drove him crazy sometimes!

"Will she be alright?" Aunt Hermione asked, not moving her eyes from her niece. The matron nodded.

"The pain of the first transformation caused her to pass out. She'll be recovered by tomorrow afternoon although no lessons until the day after," she ordered then returned to her office. Zack breathed in relief along with the rest of the room. She would be ok.

**Hm, yeah. I know the werewolf thing was a shock but I really couldn't resist. Love Bianca :) x**


	5. Care Bear

**Chapter Five**

**Woops! Lost track of time and forgot I was meant to update this morning.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter or anything recognisable. I do own Kara, Zachary, Phoenix and anyone else you don't know.**

In Kara's second year of Hogwarts, things changed between her and Scorpius. When she'd been bitten by the werewolf, he had been sweet and visited every day then they had been civilised towards each other when she got out of the hospital wing. But, in their second year, they became real friends. Well, it was in the summer just before second year. And she much preferred it to hating him and having to duel him in the corridors (which she'd been expressly forbidden from doing for four months after the attack from the werewolf). Kara still hated her transformations and feared the moment she had to face them. Scorpius helped her through that.

"Hey Care Bear," he said as he sat next to her at the table they'd claimed for themselves in the library. The nickname he'd given her hadn't been appreciated at first but Scorpius insisted on it and Kara finally accepted the strange twist on her name. It was just after Wednesday lessons in the third week of term and Kara was frantically writing to finish her Transfiguration essay. It had been left until the last minute because Kara knew she could write the essay easier than her Potions one. She was brilliant at the practical aspect of potions, but she could not wrap her head around the essays.

"Hey Scorp," she replied, glancing up briefly to smile at her friend before looking back at her parchment. Scorpius sat himself in the chair to the left side of her and ran a hand through his blonde locks to make them look messy for a reason Kara couldn't fathom.

"Do you always insist on leaving Transfiguration homework to the last minute?" he complained, now lounging with his hands behind his head and his feet on the table. Kara smacked said feet and he slowly removed them, plonking his chair legs back on the ground too.

"Yes, because I know I'll get it done. The other things I might not get done," she informed him, just like she always did when he asked her that question. She dotted her last 'I', ended the sentence and rolled up her parchment, grinning in victory. Scorpius was shaking his head in amusement but didn't comment. She packed her stuff away and stood up, looking at Scorpius as he rose and trying not to stare too much.

"Have you got quidditch practice?" he asked and Kara immediately brightened, nodding eagerly. Her mother had played for the Gryffindor team during her memory loss period but hadn't gone back to playing for the Slytherin team upon the return of her memory. Her father had played all the years he could and Kara had taken up his position: beater. "I'll come and watch." Kara immediately blushed at the thought of Scorpius watching her play but didn't reply, merely leading the way from the library.

XXX

Scorpius watched with admiration as Kara flew through the air elegantly and hit the flying bludgers with a ferocity that kind of scared him. He noticed the Gryffindor captain staring at her affectionately and glared before realising that he was four years older than her and it was because of the bludger she'd just hit that would concuss anyone it came in contact with. Scorpius smirked and went back to watching Kara. Her stunning black locks had been pulled back in a tight ponytail that was swaying in the wing and the brown orbs that she'd inherited from her father were sparkling excitedly as she flew. Her bold red quidditch robes were flapping in the wind. She was absolutely beautiful.

"Please stop staring at my sister," Zack begged as he sat on Scorpius' right.

"Yeah, stop staring at our cousin," James added as he plonked himself on the left of Scorpius. Kara had hit him a little too hard with a bludger half an hour into the practice he was currently watching and James had been sent to the hospital wing. "I've got one to two hours before my shoulder reattaches itself." So he would be back on a broom within a day. Rose and Hugo, the former rolling her eyes at her cousin, sat in front of Scorpius. Rose was tall for her age, but Kara still surpassed her. Her hair was a fiery shade of red in stark contrast with Kara's midnight black hair and Rose's eyes were Aquamarine blue as opposed to Kara's emerald green. The red locks were slightly frizzy, which she got from her mother, whereas Kara's were silky smooth. But Rose was a flirt. She didn't act tarty but she knew just how to talk to boys, which was terrifying considering she was only twelve and her mother was Hermione Weasley. Kara didn't flirt. Yes, she was confident and could talk to plenty of people. But she didn't flirt with him and Scorpius couldn't figure out why it bothered him so much. He fancied Kara but the fact that he was content with being her friend should not lead to his annoyance over the fact that she didn't act towards him like Rose did. Deciding that he was rambling in his thoughts, he returned his attention to the practice, grinning as Albus caught the snitch.

"You go brother!" James yelled encouragingly, earning funny looks from the Gryffindor team and those around him. Like his namesake, James played chaser on the team whilst Albus played seeker almost as well as his father.

"Never say that again," Lily, James and Albus' younger sister, ordered as she perched behind Scorpius. She was a shy girl, quite like her mother in that aspect, and she didn't talk to many people besides her family (and Scorpius). She had a small group of friends that she spent the majority of her time with so Scorpius knew she was content. In the way that he had to be in a large group, Lily needed a small group.

"Alright team, hit the showers!" the Gryffindor captain called to his teammates. He was a bulky boy with intimidating muscles and a head of dark blonde hair. He had a glare to rival Kara's but, according to her, he 'had a heart of gold'. Scorpius, along with the others not on the Gryffindor quidditch team, did not believe her but they didn't mention it to her. The team dispersed and so did the spectators. He saw Zena and Britney, black haired and brown haired respectively – and Kara's closest friends -, approach Kara who was looking adorably windswept. They greeted each other as they passed then went on their way. James grudgingly went to speak to his Captain about his shoulder, Rose went with Zena and Britney to see Kara and Lily spotted her friends, shooting towards them with a speed that made Zach say, "She is going to be a great keeper one day." Scorpius just smirked and followed his best friend to the Great Hall for dinner.

XXX

Kara woke up in the hospital wing after the full moon in December. Luckily, it was two weeks before the Christmas holidays so she would be back on her feet before then. She raised a weak hand to feel her hair and groaned when she felt the knotted clumps. Great. The hospital wing door opened and Kara grinned at the clock she saw. 8.30am – he was right on time.

"Good morning, Care Bear," Scorpius greeted, smiling widely and letting his white blonde hair fall gracefully into his eyes. But Kara knew the smile was hiding the sheer panic he held inside every time he visited her. She beamed nonetheless.

"Hey Scorp," she replied, eyeing the bag in his hand and knowing that he smirked. He waltzed over and placed the bag on the bedside table, putting a provided tray on Kara's lap followed by a plate full of pancakes. A house elf appeared as Scorpius chucked the bag in a nearby bin.

"Chocolate pancakes, heavy on the chocolate sauce. Orange juice with absolutely no pulp and a bowl of cherries because your mother insisted on something healthy," Scorpius listed as the house elf drowned the pancakes in sauce then apparated away.

"Thank you Scorpius." It had become a tradition for him to bring her food after a full moon, one she enjoyed and loved very much.

"You're welcome." He sat himself lazily in a chair.

"You need to go to lesson," she stated after swallowing her third mouthful. He shook his head.

"I've got time." It was the same story every time. And he would come back later with her family and friends and say he was late for lesson.

"Alright, I want an honest answer. Are there any new injuries?" Kara asked worriedly. Only once had she injured herself because she had an itch and scratched her torso too hard but she always feared coming back with a new scar to match the long one along her torso.

"Not from what I can see," Scorpius answered, blushing slightly. Kara frowned in confusion at the blush but didn't comment as Madam Carey bustled in and handed her the usual three potions. Kara drank them without complaint as they healed her faster although they tasted like goblin shit.

"You are clean, Miss Weasley. There are no new marks or injuries to speak of. Good girl." That was all Madam Carey said before departing back to her office. Scorpius rose from his seat with a look of contempt on his face.

"I better go to lesson. I have Professor Weasley and she'll put me in detention if I'm late. Again. Bye Kara," he said, blushed slightly once more then left. Kara smiled slightly then readjusted herself. A house elf took her tray away (food and drink gone completely) and she fell into a peaceful sleep filled with peace, calm and a blonde haired boy.

**N'aww, just a little mush there for you even though it wasn't of the romantic nature. Well, not quite. Love Bianca :) x**


	6. Fear

**Chapter Six**

**Personally, I don't know what my mind was thinking when I wrote this but whatever.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own anything recognisable. I do own Kara, Phoenix and Zachary. Also 'Never Bite a Boy on the First Date' isn't mine either – it belongs to Tamara Summers and is actually an awesome book.**

"And Weasley hits a ferocious bludger, sending the Slytherin seeker reeling away from the snitch!" cried the commentator, Mark Kane, loudly into his speaker phone. Kara smirked in victory and continued following the bludgers closely, hitting them away from her teammates and towards the Slytherin team. She hadn't meant to almost brain Scorpius but it had happened anyway. And he was fine and once again racing Albus for the snitch.

"Kara, duck!" she heard Davis, a Gryffindor chaser, yell at her and she didn't listen. Instead, she whirled around on her broom and smacked the bludger violently in the other direction. Cheers erupted when it caused a Slytherin chaser to drop the quaffle and Davis to catch it and score. Then Albus caught the snitch and Kara did a celebratory flip on her broom, giggling cheerily. When she landed, she hugged her cousin tightly.

"We won!" she repeated loudly and proceeded to hug each of her team members happily. Then she proceeded to hug some of the Slytherins, particularly Scorpius who was looking slightly put out. Her heart actually skipped some beats when his arms wrapped around her waist.

"Congratulations," he whispered in her ear and she pulled back slowly.

"You did pretty well yourself. If it hadn't been for me and my mad skills, you probably would have caught the snitch," she said with a shrug and he grinned.

"Yes, I blame you. That makes it easier," he jokes and she giggled, swatting him playfully.

"Come to the victory party. Gryffindor common room - now." It wasn't a question. She grinned and waltzed off, Scorpius not staring at her bum. At all.

XXX

On October 16th, Kara and Zack turned thirteen. She received an abundance of gifts from her family, friends and, most importantly, Scorpius. He got her a beautiful silver charm bracelet with four charms on it: a bear (for her nickname), a wolf (for obvious reasons), a lion (for her Gryffindor side) and a snake (he'd told her this was to represent her Slytherin side but she highly doubted that – the lion and the snake were strangely close together on the bracelet). She'd hugged him tightly and immediately put it on and never left her dormitory without it on. Zack gave her a book entitled 'Howling at the Moon – a complete guide to all things werewolf', which she'd thanked him profusely for. Her other gifts consisted of jewellery (Aunt Astoria) money (Uncle Blaise), books (mainly from Aunt Hermione), sweets (mainly from Uncles Ron and George) and clothes (her parents).

"What book did you get from Aunt Hermione this year?" Kara asked as she plonked herself down beside Zack in the library. He held up his Collector's Edition of 'Quidditch Through the Ages', signed by at least three major quidditch players. "Awesome," Kara breathed and Zack smirked.

"What did she get you?"

"I expected to get an entire library on werewolves but, as it turns out, you're the only one to get me something to do with my wolf side. Well, Scorpius got me a charm bracelet and James got me a book called 'Never Bite a Boy on the First Date' which is a muggle book about vampires but he laughed himself stupid because of it." Then Kara pulled out her shining Collector's Edition of 'The Ultimate Guide to being an Auror'. He grinned.

"That's a one way ticket to your dream job," he pointed out and Kara beamed. She'd always dreamed of being an auror, ever since her mother and father had told her stories when she was younger.

"Happy Birthday," a voice said in her ear. She jumped so much she almost fell out of her chair. Scorpius waltzed into her line of vision with a smirk and planted himself on a chair beside her.

"Thanks Scorp," she replied, clutching her racing heart.

"Happy Birthday, Zack," Scorpius said, smacking his friend on the shoulder. Kara had never understood why boys did that and she didn't want to ask. She feared there wouldn't be a logical answer.

"So, what are we doing today?" she asked Zack with a mischievous smile spreading across her face. Zack grinned evilly at her and handed her a bag full of Dungbombs and Decoy Detonators.

"We're going to make Professor Slughorn very angry."

And so they did.

XXX

Towards the end of her second year, Kara found herself in thoughtful trances rather a lot. Her blank stares became a common occurrence for everyone to see although Zack had panicked at the beginning and had Madam Carey check her out for possible risks of memory loss. Kara had been completely cleared of any possible dangers to her memory, much to her mother's relief. Yet no one could figure out why Kara kept getting thoughtful. She was merely going through a mental process to adjust herself, much like she did at the end of her first year although that had been in private. When Kara got home, she would be locked in her magically and manually prepared basement come the full moon and she didn't like it. Being in the Room of Requirement made her feel like the school's population was safe yet she could still be close by to them. The basement of the manor was secluded and cold and she despised being put in there during her summer transformations. But she refused to tell her parents. They would grow sympathetic and try to understand but, even with some experience on her mother's part, they could never fully understand what Kara went through or the discomfort she felt being cut off from her family or the fear she felt knowing that she was a danger to those around her. Even Zack didn't know the extent of her pain and he hopefully never would. Kara didn't want nor need him to find out that she felt her own parents were terrified for or of her. No one needed to know.

But, naturally, someone would find out. Scorpius wriggled the truth out of Kara as they both sat at the top of the Astronomy Tower one day.

"Kara, you're hiding something from m-us." She pretended not to notice the stutter. In fact she pretended not to notice the entire statement. "Everyone has their pain, Kara." This shocked her enough to respond.

"What are you on about?" she asked but didn't turn to face the Malfoy boy on her left. She could just see his shock of blonde hair and the midnight blue cloak he wore from the corner of her eye.

"My father is afraid of this place," he stated and Kara saw him gesture to the Tower they were seated in. She couldn't understand his point though. "Every time that it's mentioned, whether it be in a statement or a question or just a passing phrase, he tenses up and goes extremely pale. He has never told me the full story, I think he thinks I'm too young, but he did tell me that something horrible once happened to him and another person here and he doesn't like thinking about it too much." Kara remained clueless and she believed it showed on her face as Scorpius gave a soft laugh. "You do it too." Ah, there it was. "Every time a wolf, a werewolf, the Forbidden Forest, the Room of Requirement or even a basement are mentioned, you tense up and go pale. Why?" he asked and Kara saw his head turn to look at her. She looked steadily at the glittering stars in the night sky, winking down at her teasingly.

"Because I'm scared," she admitted in a whisper. She saw Scorpius nod.

"And?" he urged. It was unfair that he knew there was more.

"Bad things happened to me in the Forbidden Forest, or just outside it. The Room of Requirement is where I transform in school. And . . . the basement is where I'm sent at home because my parents are scared of me," she told him, even quieter than her first confession. She was utterly shocked when Scorpius' arm wound around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. She swore that her breathing stopped and her heart sped up.

"They're scared _for _you, Kara, not _of _you."

"I don't know which is worse," she stated, sniffing slightly. Scorpius squeezed her shoulder softly.

"Just because they worry about you doesn't mean they're bad people." His assurance was sinking into her brain.

"I know. I just wish that I was normal enough for them to have nothing to worry so much about." This admittance was met by a stunned silence.

"Who wants normal anyway?" Scorpius joked after a long pause. Kara couldn't help but laugh and wriggle closer to her friend.

"I guess you're right." Scorpius laughed slightly and hugged her tighter, much to her delight. He was so good at making her feel better.

**I thought I needed more recognition of Kara's wolf side so there it was. Oh the conversations she could have with Remus Lupin :( Anyway, I'm praying that nothing goes wrong as it is Friday the Thirteenth. I don't want to jinx it, but I'm generally ok on this day. Hopefully it sticks. Love Bianca :) x**


	7. It's Over

**Chapter Seven**

**Disclaimer – I don't own anything recognisable. Kara, Zachary, Cecelia (who isn't actually mentioned here) and anything else unrecognisable.**

When Scorpius wrote to Aunt Phoenix and Uncle Fred and told them about Kara's fears, he had considered it a good idea. When Kara burst into his house using the Floo Network on day two of the summer holiday, raging about the letter, he re-evaluated his sanity.

"I could kill you Scorpius! You had no right to tell them!" she shrieked, waving her arms about insanely. Scorpius couldn't help but marvel at her actions and expressions that showed so much whilst she yelled at him.

"Kara, they deserved to know," he stated in a hushed voice. Kara froze in the middle of whatever rant she'd been on, finger pointed and chest heaving as she breathed deeply. Her brown eyes were sparkling with anger that was rapidly fading and her dark skin was flushed. Scorpius raised a challenging blonde eyebrow.

"Fine, I'm calm," she huffed, throwing herself in the nearest armchair: white leather with silver cushions.

"So, how about a game of wizard's chess?" he asked casually and Kara grinned.

"I'm going to win. Uncle Ron taught me everything he knows about this game."

"Ah, I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

Kara kicked his arse within five minutes, much to Scorpius' humiliation.

XXX

"Good evening Professor McGonagall," Kara greeted as she entered the Headmistress' office on the eighth day of term. The office had a lovely, warm feeling and was in two perfect circles. Strange instruments littered the desks; ones that Kara's mother had informed her belonged to Professor Dumbledore. Apparently the headmistress didn't have the heart to put them away or get rid of them.

"Good evening Miss Weasley," McGonagall stated in return. Her glasses were resting on the bridge of her nose and she was wearing an emerald green robe, a nice change from her usual black. Kara looked around and saw that they were not alone. Her father, mother, brother and Scorpius were all seated or standing around the office. Her parents looked frazzled - her mother looking particularly worried whilst her father just looked tense. Zack looked slightly nervous and unsure and his hand was constantly raking through his thick dark hair in agitation. Scorpius looked stiff, like Kara had noticed Uncle Draco do when he was distinctly uncomfortable or upset. His blonde locks were a mess. Kara hugged her parents, noticing that both were dressed in attire they'd normally wear to work – black trousers that were kind of clingy, a scarlet blouse and red satin peep toe heels for her mother and the bright magenta robes that clashed horrifically with the Weasley red hair for her father.

"What's going on?" Kara asked as she sat in the squishy red armchair McGonagall offered her. Scorpius cleared his throat awkwardly but did nothing else as everyone else looked supremely worried.

"We are just waiting for one more person," Professor McGonagall stated and the door to the office opened promptly. "Ah, Mr Potter." Kara's head snapped around to see her Uncle closing the door. He was wearing jeans that were slightly singed and smoking, a dark blue t-shirt and his black Auror robes. Clearly he'd come from a field mission.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologised as he walked up to Kara's mother and father and took up a position of calm near them. Phoenix began eyeing him curiously, hand twitching towards her quill like the journalist she was and Kara rolled her eyes at her mother's curiosity. Fred seemed to notice and shook his head, holding back a grin that made Kara hold back a snort of laughter.

"It's quite alright," McGonagall assured him in a prim tone.

"Can someone tell me what is going on?" Kara asked loudly and she noticed Scorpius' hand twitch in her direction but didn't comfort her like he normally would have.

"Kara, sweetie, we need to discuss the note you got on Halloween," her mother finally said after a long silence and Kara froze. Two years. It had taken them two years to talk to her about the note that had caused her to get bitten by a werewolf.

"W-w-what? Why?" she asked shakily and everyone gave her the look of sympathy she hated except for Scorpius who looked distinctly awkward. She wondered why he was there. Yes, he had come up with the theory about the note but she could tell he didn't want to be around for some reason.

"Miss Weasley, we have been investigating that note for the past two years-." Kara leapt out of her chair.

"You've been WHAT!" she shrieked and noticed her mother reach for her from the corner of her eye but stepped away.

"Kara," said the soothing voice of her uncle. She turned to glare at him and he stared her down. She realised that a teenage girl was not going to scare him – he did deal with criminals every day. "We found out who did it." That caused Kara to sink into her chair rapidly.

"You did?" she asked quietly and Harry nodded.

"Nicolas Michaels." Kara grimaced slightly. That did not make any sense at all. He was a quiet, shy boy in Slytherin. Scorpius had spoken to him once or twice and Zack had done the same.

"Who the hell is Nicolas Michaels?" Fred spoke for the first time.

"He took on his mother's maiden name. If he had taken his father's name, he would be known as Nicolas Avery," Harry continued. This prompted a snarl from Fred, a squeak from Phoenix and a violent jerk from Scorpius and Zack. Kara simply stared at Harry open mouthed.

"Why would he want to hurt me though? I know his father is a death eater and all that but why me?" Kara asked in a high pitched voice. Scorpius finally reached out and took her hand in comfort. The instant relaxation in her demeanour made her mother and father raise their eyebrows but they didn't comment.

"In questioning, Nicolas admitted to taking on his father's need for revenge," Harry added and Kara frowned.

"But I still don't understand why that involves me." Her mother stepped forward.

"It involves you because of me." Kara frowned at her mother's statement.

"Um, huh?" Phoenix gave a long sigh and looked at her husband. He instantly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nodded once. Kara had seen this happen when her mother needed encouragement.

"A long time ago, as you and your brother know, I wasn't the best person. Until my third year, I was almost as bad as your Uncle Draco with bullying. Then I lost my memory and gained a new perspective. Even when I regained my memory and returned to my old life, I never forgot the lessons that Harry, Ron and Hermione taught me along with your father and numerous other people. There was always going to be something pulling me back to their side until I joined them. One day, just after I received the Dark Mark-." Here, Phoenix shuddered. "Avery Senior approached me. He had found a collection of belongings I had collected regarding my years as a Gryffindor concealed under my bed and he wasn't happy about it. He threatened to take me to Voldemort and went to tie me up. I dodged. The last thing I did before running away was put him in a coma." Kara sat numbly after her mother's story. She had been warned many times that Death Eater's had a thirst for revenge. If Avery Senior couldn't carry it out, he would make sure his son could.

"So . . . ?" Kara trailed off uncertainly.

"He went for you."

"But why not Zack? I don't want this to happen to him, but why did he pick me?" Kara asked and Zack's head finally snapped up from glaring at his knees to stare beseechingly at the adults in the room. Kara knew he had spent at least six months worrying about why it had been her and not him bitten by the werewolf and he could find out why now.

"He targeted you because he knew Zack would be deeply affected but would not seek violent action. If it had happened to Zack, you wouldn't have stopped until you'd hunted down the perpetrator," her mother answered and Zack just gaped whilst Kara shook her head disbelievingly.

"This is so messed up." Everyone nodded.

"Yes, but Death Eaters won't stop until they've had revenge. This is his revenge and it's over now, Kara. It is over." With those words from her father, she collapsed into happy tears and hugged the closest person: Scorpius. Freezing in shock for all of half a second, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged back. She giggled through her tears and beamed around the room. Zack tackled her into a hug and she squealed happily, hugging her twin for all her life was worth. She was safe. Avery Junior would be detained in the magical equivalent of a detention centre. Now all she had to deal with were her transformations, right?

XXX

The week before Valentine's Day, Kara walked slowly around the Black Lake, stopping occasionally to catch her breath. The full moon had been only two days before and she was still in recovery. The February morning was chilly, winter stubbornly remaining where it wasn't wanted and not welcoming of the spring that Kara (and most other residents of Hogwarts) desperately wanted. She pulled her red velvet cloak tighter around her. It had been a gift (and insistence) from her father and was lined in black fur (fake, of course – Kara refused to wear real fur). She also wore thick boots that hugged up to her mid-calf, black skinny jeans, a red tank top and a thick, black hoodie. Her immune system was always down after a full moon so she wasn't chancing anything and also had on her thick ski gloves, a hat and her thick Gryffindor scarf.

"Hey Kara," said a voice, someone walking into the corning of her vision. She looked around to see Oliver Sergeant, older brother by two years of her close friend Zena, walking along to her right. Unlike his sister, he had golden brown locks but he had the same lovely amber/brown eyes and crooked smile.

"Hey Oliver," she greeted, turning back to her walk.

"Should you really be out here? I thought you were bed-bound for at least three days after a transformation?" he asked in such a casual way that Kara was confused. She wasn't outmoded because of her condition but it wasn't brought up so casually in conversation by anyone except James – and that was just so he could make jokes to make her feel better.

"Uh, yeah, I normally am. But Madam Carey is trying to get me out more to see how I cope. And I feel ok," she assured him, stumbling slightly. His arms seemed to reach out but then pull back when she righted herself. She tried to ignore that.

"So, there's a Hogsmeade trip next week." This time, he was far too casual. Her brow furrowed as she slowly nodded.

"Yes, there is . . ." she trailed of, uncertain of where he was taking the conversation as they headed back to the castle.

"Do you want to go? Together?" he asked and Kara really tripped. She let out a gust of air as she collided with the ground. An arm immediately helped her up and she dusted herself off. Oliver looked worriedly at her.

"I'm sorry, that was unfortunate. Um, yeah, we could go . . . together," she answered and his face split into a wide grin.

"See you in the Entrance Hall then," he said and bounced off. Kara was left feeling a little disgruntled that he hadn't at least walked her back to the hospital wing. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, a familiar arm slung itself around her shoulders and she grinned.

"Hey Scorp," she greeted and continued walking.

"Hey Care Bear." She leant her head against his shoulder as they approached the hospital wing. This was what she wanted – someone to walk her to the hospital wing, someone to _care_. She smiled up at Scorpius as he helped her onto her bed and took her cloak to hang on a nearby hook. His beautiful eyes sparkled merrily as he grinned back and handed her a bag of Honeyduke's finest. Yes, this was what she wanted.

**Right, I know it's a kind of lame explanation for the note but I forgot about it completely and decided that I needed to deal with the bloody thing. See you in two days (possibly longer because I haven't actually written the chapter yet). Love Bianca :) x**


	8. Strange Encounters

**Chapter Eight**

**I'M SORRY! Merlin, am I sorry or what? I hadn't written this chapter and I got carried away but I'm here and I'm back and it's summer so I can write as much as I want! I'll give you updates every two days I promise because you're going to lose me for nine days in the week after next because I'm going on HOLIDAY! Ahem, and I had this chapter ready two days ago and thought I'd updated. My mind has left me.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own anything recognisable, I don't make money from this and I am not JK Rowling. I do own Kara, Zack, Zena, Britney, Cecelia and Phoenix so HANDS OFF!**

Scorpius hadn't spoken to her since she'd told him about her date with Oliver. It was so strange, she thought, but he was almost avoiding her. At first, she'd thought that it was a coincidence that he wasn't around but then she noticed him rapidly leaving a place when she entered or walking in the other direction when she appeared at the end of a corridor. Kara couldn't fathom his reasoning. So, instead of just accepting his blatant and unexplained avoidance of her, she made it her goal to find out why he was suddenly treating her like Dragon Pox.

"Hey Zack," Kara stated as she slid into a seat beside him in the library. They made it a weekly event to meet up and do homework or chat or catch up with each other because their different houses meant that they never knew when they would see each other. Scorpius wasn't involved in their family bonding time (even if he was, he would probably have skipped in order to avoid her even more) which meant she wasn't at risk of being overheard.

"Hi Kara," Zack replied, tucking his completed Herbology essay into his leather bag, knowing Kara would probably snatch it and copy. She was horrible at Herbology. Kara noticed his eyes flickering around edgily, his stiff posture and his messy black hair – all things uncommon for Zack who was the laid back twin. Her eyes narrowed as she took in his clothes: grey sweater, black jeans and white trainers – things he didn't normally wear. Something was off but she let it go on the basis that she was slightly paranoid.

"Given that I have done all of my homework-."

"And gotten Albus to write your Herbology essay."

"And I know you have too, can we talk?" Kara asked slowly, ignoring his interruption as though it hadn't happened. Zack nodded in response.

"Of course we can," he assured her a little too eagerly. She knew that they didn't see each other too much but it wasn't as though she'd disappeared off the face of the Earth for several years.

"Do you know why Scorpius is avoiding me?" she asked bluntly, watching him carefully. His eyes widened and his shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. What the Hell was wrong with him? Zack normally had the perfect poker face and Kara generally only noticed when he was lying because she was his twin and had the same liar face.

"Um . . . Kara, that's not my business," he said shakily, not meeting her eyes. That wasn't right either. Zack may not have been as nosy as Kara but he sure meddled. And anything that upset Kara became his concern (much to her disdain).

"Zack, you're his best friend – he tells you everything!" Kara protested. Zack continued to fidget awkwardly.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" he asked and Kara glared sharply. She seemed to have inherited her Aunt Ginny's temper.

"I WOULD but Scorpius seems to be AVOIDING me!" Her pointed tone seemed to make Zack even more uncomfortable.

"Kara, Scorpius won't talk to me about this." He was very obviously lying.

"Zachary George Weasley, you are lying to me! when you want to stop, come and talk to me," she ordered before grabbing her bag and storming out of what her Aunt Hermione called a sanctuary. Three corridors away, she slowed her angry march down to a frustrated walk, placing a glare on her face to let everyone know that she was fuming. When she rounded the corner into a fourth corridor, she halted in her tracks. Zack had appeared on the other end of the corridor. Not only had he come from the opposite end of the corridor than the library, but he was wearing a green t-shirt with blue jeans and black trainers. His hair was perfectly styled and he was sporting a wide grin directed at her. No secret passageway could get him there that fast.

"Hey Kara, who pissed you off and where can I find them?" he asked in a cheerful voice. Kara was caught between gaping and glaring at her twin but she eventually decided to ignore her logic.

"What the Hell are you on about? YOU pissed me off!" she reminded him angrily. Zack looked utterly bewildered.

"What are _you_ on about? I haven't seen you to piss you off," he defended himself. Kara didn't bother pointing out that he wouldn't need to see her to piss her off if he really tried, instead frowning and tilting her head to the side.

"But I was just with you in the library. We were talking and you were lying really, really badly." Zack shook his head, looking severely worried for her mental health.

"I've just come from playing some quidditch with Albus and James and I was coming to meet you."

"Then it must have been another Zack!" Kara said in her best sarcastic tone. Her twin looked over her shoulder as he rolled his eyes and his jaw fell open. Rolling her eyes from the assumption that some attractive girl had caught his eye, Kara turned around and her expression morphed to match Zack's. Because Zack was walking towards them, looking at the ground. The Zack standing beside her grunted in confusion which caused the Zack walking towards them to look up. Instantly, his expression turned to one resembling a deer caught in the headlights (as Aunt Hermione would say).

"Oops," the stunned Zack said. Kara was beginning to think she was hallucinating.

"There can't be two of you!" she protested.

"Well, I'm the real Zack. I don't know who he is," the Zack in the green top said airily. He sounded like it wasn't strange that there was another one of him in the corridor. Kara didn't particularly notice that she was shaking until both of her companions looked at her blurring hands which she then tried to still. The night she was bitten came back to her – someone pretending to be Zack and ending up with a werewolf attack that left her cursed and fragile. Green Zack (as she'd named him) tried to reach out for her but she jerked away violently. It wasn't often that Kara found insecure. She worked and lived off the basis that things happened because they were meant to. This caused her acceptance of being a werewolf to come much easier. But the fact of the matter was: Avery had lured her out of the castle that night with harmful (if not deadly) intentions. This was enough to spark trust issues so large that her parents had insisted on a whole-school sweep for possible dangers in students and teachers. Kara believed herself to be moved on from that. But it was clear she still had things to deal with as she backed away from the pair into a wall and stared at the two with wide eyes. As she watched, she was shocked to see grey Zack start to change. His skin paled, he grew slightly, filled out a little more and his hair lightened marginally to white blonde. Before any of this happened, before the pointed features and the lithe form became obvious, she saw his eyes. They were the first thing to change. They morphed from the lovely brown of her father to the sharp and beautiful blue-grey combination that she loved so much of her non-biological aunt and uncle. The instant they changed, Kara knew it was Scorpius. And she was not happy.

"You son of a bitch," she snarled but it was shaky and had a dash of fear that made the fully transformed Scorpius gulp. Zack was gaping uselessly at his best friend whilst Kara fought back tears.

"Kara, I'm-."

"If you apologise Scorpius, I'll rip off your testicles and make you eat them for dinner," she threatened, this time with more venom. Scorpius closed his mouth and Kara tried very hard to swallow back her tears without success. When the first one spilled over, she noticed Scorpius wince and look kind of desperate. "I locked myself away for hours after I found out that I was lured to the Forest that night. I didn't trust anyone and I barely spoke to anyone except Zack for weeks. And now you go and do this. I thought I could trust you, Scorpius. But using Polyjuice Potion to look like my brother and talk to me? I don't understand. But I do know that I don't trust you anymore. How can I trust someone who avoids me then lies to me?" she asked in a weak voice. The effects of the potion were obvious. His skin had bubbled when transforming back.

"I just wanted to talk to you."

"And I think it's pretty obvious I wanted to talk to you, given our conversation. I've been desperate to find you for days and you've avoided me like Dragon's Pox. So now it's my turn except you should bloody well know why I'm abandoning you." With that, she stormed off in search of Zena, Britney, Lily or Rose for a good, long girl talk with chocolate ice cream and whipped cream.

**I just thought they needed a bit of a stir-up because they are too happy. See you in two days! Love Bianca :) x**


	9. Overdone

**Chapter Nine**

**I know it's short and kind of crap but I'm suffering from severe writer's block on this. I'm getting there though.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter or anything related. I do own Kara, Zack, Cecelia and Phoenix.**

Six weeks after the Zack/Scorpius incident, Kara had continued to ignore him harshly. Several hexes, yells and violence attempts had been made on Kara's part but there always seemed to be someone there to stop her killing him. Joining Scorpius on her list of most hated people was Oliver Sergeant.

_*Flashback*_

"_Where do you want to go first?" Oliver asked her as soon as they entered Hogsmeade for their Valentine's Day date. She had dressed comfortably in her favourite black bootleg jeans, flat brown boots and a soft brown t-shirt accompanied by a cream coloured trench coat. He had chosen dark blue jeans with a fitted grey t-shirt and a black leather jacket on top and white trainers on his feet. _

"_I don't really mind. How about Honeydukes?" she asked tentatively. She wasn't used to being looked at by boys (although all her friends insisted that she was watched constantly) let alone dating. Her date made a strange choking noise at her request._

"_Why don't we get a drink in the Three Broomsticks?" It was like she hadn't spoken at all but she went along with it anyway, not wanting to make a bad impression. She ordered a butterbeer whilst Oliver satisfied himself with pumpkin juice. Much to Kara's humiliation, an awkward silence ensued._

"_So, you could have chosen any other girl to go Hogsmeade. Why me?" she asked tensely. Her close friend's brother gave her a strange look before sipping his drink thoughtfully._

"_You intrigue me," he finally answered and he noticed that his gaze distinctly travelled to her chest. Well, she wasn't going to stand for that. Her mother had always insisted that any boy/man that preferred looking at her chest than her eyes was not worth it._

"_My eyes are up here, Oliver," she pointed out dryly. He blushed slightly and returned his gaze to her annoyed glare._

"_Sorry Kara, that was very disrespectful," he apologised and she narrowed her eyes slightly before accepting it. The conversation picked up from there as they spoke of everything: literature, history and quidditch. To her dismay, Oliver didn't seem to care much for history although his literature and quidditch knowledge had been enough to keep her entertained. The topic changed to their families. "Well, my mother is a Wizarding Wedding Planner. Perhaps you've heard of her business: Happily Ever After?" Personally, Kara thought the name was a little naff but she had heard of them alright._

"_Oh yes! I love looking through her leaflets! They're wonderful," she gushed then turned red slightly. Oliver smirked and continued._

"_And my father is Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." Kara stiffened slightly but tried not to draw attention to her discomfort._

"_That sounds interesting. Do you know what he deals with every day?" she asked curiously. Oliver nodded._

"_He deals with the more violent of society's beasts daily: dragons, Manticores and hippogriffs, you know. There will be the almost weekly problem with werewolves though." He didn't appear to notice Kara's frozen form. "They are quite violent beasts, you know. None seem to have a conscience." That's when Kara snapped._

"_Well then, I'll have to be very careful around you then," she almost growled. Oliver looked slightly startled as he remembered who he was talking to._

"_Kara-."_

"_What, Oliver? Do you want to inform me of more problems with what I am? Please, do tell," she said in a voice that was far too calm._

"_I just meant to tell you that some werewolves-."_

"_No, you never emphasised 'some werewolves'. I suppose that your father wouldn't be thrilled with your choice in date, would he?"_

"_No, he wouldn't."_

"_You're just like him, aren't you?" she asked, observing his edgy nature._

"_I've just heard not to get werewolves angry." Kara made a hysterical noise._

"_Well, that's it then! I'm leaving, Oliver. Merlin knows that my WEREWOLF side might take control and I'll eat you or something!" she shrieked and stormed out of the pub furiously._

_*End Flashback*_

This had been followed by an uproar from many pupils, Zack and their parents. James had been forcibly restrained when he had found out and Zena had been so angry that she'd slapped her brother and written to her parents. Oliver had received an angry howler from his mother and a reproachful note from his father about judging people. Phoenix and Fred had complained to Headmistress McGonagall who had given the older boy a two hour lecture and three nights of detention. Personally, Kara thought it was a bit much but she wasn't complaining. Oliver stayed away from her and she'd caught Scorpius watching protectively. Although she was still mad at him, she was pleased that he appreciated her feelings yet still looked out for her.

"Kara?" asked a hesitant voice. Her head rose from gazing over the Black Lake to the towering figure of Scorpius over her. Despite her anger, she couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face. He had been looking out for her and her anger had gone on for long enough. And she was more livid at Oliver than she ever could be at Scorpius.

"I won't bite, I promise," she joked as he stood there awkwardly. He breathed in relief as he perched on a tree root close to her.

"How are you?" he asked and she shrugged.

"I'm tired. The full moon is in a few days so I feel like I'm going to pass out constantly. Sometimes it really sucks being a werewolf," she said sadly. Scorpius' arm slowly reached out and she immediately drew herself closer to him as he was too hesitant to close their distance.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked quickly and Kara smiled.

"Yes, there is. You can be waiting for me the morning after with chocolate pancakes, cherries and orange juice with no pulp." He had missed one full moon and it had almost been too much for her to cope with. The transformation had seemed more painful than normal and Madame Carey, bless her, had provided Kara's wanted food but the girl had only cried because Scorpius hadn't been there to give it to her.

"Zack told me about the last full moon," Scorpius told her and Kara tensed, waiting for some kind of teasing. It never came. Instead, his arm tightened around her shoulders. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"It wasn't your fault, I brought it on myself. I was the one that pushed you away," she pointed out and Scorpius snorted.

"And I'm the one that decided to use Polyjuice Potion to solve my problems." They had reached an impasse, it seemed.

"You never told me why you were avoiding me." Scorpius cleared his throat above her.

"I just didn't think Oliver was good for you. I reacted badly, I know. I'm sorry for that." Kara sensed a lie but let it happen because she was too euphoric at their renewed friendship to care. When Kara began falling asleep against Scorpius' (very firm) chest, her friend helped her off the ground. "Back to Gryffindor Tower for you," he ordered and helped her stumble up there. She was so embarrassed at her lethargic behaviour, but with the full moon so near, she was entitled to a little exhaustion. Scorpius halted at the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Equality," Kara mumbled sleepily. Scorpius half carried her into the common room and laid her down on the couch.

"Bloody Hell, Kara, you're not meant to overdo it before a full moon!" said a scolding voice that sounded like James. Her eyes had closed and she wasn't intending on opening them again. She mumbled something incoherent before drifting into a deep slumber, Scorpius' hand stroking her hair being the last thing she felt.

**I think I'm getting inspiration so I should be able to update in two days. Love Bianca :) x**


	10. Summer Bonding

**Chapter Ten**

**Ahem, yes, it's been slightly more than two days. But I just finished this chapter. Next chapter will be better, I swear to you all! **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter or anything recognisable although I'd hope my own characters were recognisable by now and I do own them. Kara, Zack, Cecelia, Zena, Britney and Phoenix are mine.**

Kara woke up on the last day of term having experienced another full moon the night before. Just as Scorpius walked in cheerily, she felt a squirming in her stomach and immediately flew out of bed to throw up in the nearest bowl. She felt soothing fingers pulling her hair back as she heaved the entire contents of her stomach into the silver bowl that had been on her bedside table and had been moved to the floor.

"Oh dear Lord," came the frightened voice of Madame Carey. After five minutes, Kara was simply left sweating and shaking over the bowl and Scorpius helped her into bed. The matron handed over a bright purple potion that Kara drank eagerly.

"Well, I guess last night didn't end well, then," she said when she'd finished. Madame Carey gave her an irritated look and looked at Scorpius.

"Make sure she stays in bed. I will be right back with some bandages," she ordered before marching off. Kara frowned and looked at her friend. Scorpius acquired an unknowing look before serving up her breakfast. Despite the feeling in her stomach, she ate the lot because her mother would have her head if she didn't.

"Alright, what did she mean?" she demanded after her first bite of pancakes. Scorpius looked like he was two seconds away from whistling as he eyed the ceiling carefully. Kara sighed and rearranged her position, hissing as pain shot through her shoulder. Scorpius was a ghastly pale at that point.

"You bit yourself, Miss Weasley," Madame Carey stated bluntly as she returned. Kara's fork froze half way to her mouth and Scorpius frowned slightly in his act of looking completely in the dark.

"I what?" she asked even though she'd heard perfectly well.

"It's alright, you're secure. It will hurt less than the last one."

"Well that's alright then," she replied sarcastically. The matron let her finish before approaching to re-bandage her wounds.

XXX

"I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm going to Hogwarts! I'm going to Hogwarts!" Cecelia squealed repeatedly as she skipped around the house. Behind the large wooden doors of her room, Kara sat with Scorpius, Zack, Zena and Britney with wide eyes.

"How do you cope?" Britney asked in a crazed voice, eyeing the door reproachfully. Zack and Kara shared a look.

"We hide," they said together. Everyone nodded in understanding. Kara lay back on her four poster bed with electric blue covers and white pillows. The walls of the room were beautifully white with little blue swirls painted in the corners. Most of the walls were covered in various posters, pictures and merchandise of different teams and bands Kara adored along with Gryffindor paraphernalia. The carpet was thick and creamy white. A huge white wardrobe sat in the corner of the room, the doors not closing properly due to the immense amounts of clothes, shoes and bags within its depths.

"I'm off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz!" Cecelia sang as she once again danced past the door. Zack smacked his head on one of the posts of Kara's bed.

"Were we like this?" he asked, seeking an answer desperately.

"Yes," Scorpius said cheerfully.

"No," Kara said defensively. Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"I seem to recall-."

"Ok, we sang that song in the car on the way to the station and you heard about it. But we did not dance around the house for days on end."

"No, we used that time to plan pranks effectively," Zack added with a smirk. Kara grinned straight back at her twin, trying desperately to ignore the slightly amused look Scorpius was sending her and that caused her heart to freeze temporarily.

"We know," Zena said grudgingly. Her tone indicated irritation but Kara was thrilled to note that the small smile on her friend's lips gave away her admiration.

"Do you think it's safe to get food?" Scorpius asked, causing Kara to giggle stupidly.

"I thought Hugo was the one that thought with his stomach," she said through laughter. Scorpius rolled his eyes and shoved her playfully.

"Anyway, we have to wait for everyone to come over for dinner. By everyone, I mean everyone," Zack told them. They all groaned.

"No, not _everyone_," Kara whined.

"Well, the Potters are coming along with the Weasley's and Scorpius' mum and dad and Uncle Blaise."

"When you say the Weasley's . . . ?"

"I mean Uncles Ron and George with Aunties Hermione and Angelina and the kids," Zack replied and Kara sighed in relief.

"Thank God. There's only so much I can cope with."

"DINNER!" said the loud voice of Kara and Zack's mother. The five in the bedroom shared a smirk and all charged for the door at once. A fight ensued, which Scorpius quickly won, and they all bolted downstairs and sat at their various positions around the table. Scorpius sat between his parents. Zack sat on the right of his father whilst Kara sat on the left of her mother, with Zena then Britney beside her. The others were already dotted around the table.

"So Kara, how did the end of year exams go?" Aunt Hermione asked after daintily swallowing a mouthful of stew. Kara shared a secret smirk with Zack before turning to her aunt and answering.

"I think I did very well although I'm certain the Transfiguration could have gone better. The Divination went swimmingly though and I expect high marks," she told her aunt airily, biting a piece of lamb carefully. Hermione froze in her actions, causing Zack and Kara to choke with laughter and the rest of the table to laugh as they understood Kara's ploy.

"That was not funny, Kara."

"Oh, Aunt Hermione, it was. In all seriousness, I think they went very well. We obviously all failed History of Magic but everything else went well . . . including Divination," Kara replied seriously.

"And Rosie?" Hermione asked. Her daughter shrugged casually.

"Everything went great, I think." Her answer was very blunt and Kara rolled her eyes at her cousin. Scorpius, catching her eye, winked cheekily which caused Kara's pumpkin juice to go down the wrong way and her mother to hit her on the back to keep her daughter from choking. Zack gave Kara a knowing look that she didn't understand. Instead of dwelling on either Scorpius' or Zack's weird behaviour, she paid attention to the hearty and fun-filled conversations flowing around her, comfortable with the fact that she was once again home.

XXX

Kara edged through the forest fearfully, once again wondering why she listened to anything supposedly from Zack that wasn't confirmed. She would make a rubbish auror if that continued. A twig snapped nearby and her head spun around warily and she stared into the bright eyes of the werewolf. She didn't run silently, not like last time. This time, she screamed and bolted as fast as she could. But it caught her sooner, just like it always did. And each time, the attack differed. She struggled beneath the weight of the beast, fighting the powerful grip and wrinkling her nose at the stench of its breath. Just before its teeth sank into her throat, she let out a piercing shriek.

Kara shot up, sweat pouring off of her in rivers as she shook violently. Her hair was plastered to her face and neck, her skin was cold and her pyjamas felt too tight and constricting.

"Kara, are you ok?" came a soft voice to her right. Her wide, frightened eyes travelled to the source of the voice, finding a scared looking Scorpius crouched where she was certain her head had been before she woke up. She didn't react, merely trying to swallow the lump in her throat. After several long, painful minutes, she succeeded in organising her thoughts and shook her head in answer.

"What are you doing here?" she asked instead of verbalising her negative answer. He continued to stare at her with extremely worried blue-grey orbs.

"My parents decided to stay the night. What was your dream about?"

"Nightmare." Scorpius looked confused and cocked his head to the side.

"I'm sorry?"

"It wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare . . . about the night I was bitten. But it was different. Every night is different. Did you wake me up?" she asked, trying desperately to steer the attention away from the fact that her nightmares were obviously recurring.

"Yes, I did. You say this happens-."

"You know, I'm really tired. I should sleep."

"Nice try, Kara. Tell me," he ordered, making himself comfortable on the bed. So she told him. She told him about the nightmares that changed every night. She told him that she sometimes feared going to sleep. She told him about being scared when she didn't get nightmares because it looked like something was wrong. After over two hours of talking, Kara fell asleep curled up against Scorpius' side, exhausted from her confessions.

**They're getting closer! Oh you can just feel it. Well, I can (almost). Love Bianca :) x**


	11. Over the Edge

**Chapter Eleven**

**I'm getting back into the swing of this story now. Took me long enough. **

**Disclaimer – I don't own Harry Potter or his world or anything related to it. I do own Zachary, Kara, Cecelia, Phoenix, Zena, Britney and Oliver (although he's long gone).**

Kara gripped the Gryffindor table tightly at the beginning of her fourth year, so hard that she was surprised that it didn't splinter. All around her, students watched as first year after first year were sorted into Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin. The golden and annoyingly empty plates glimmered in the light produced by the various candles floating around the room as Kara watched the Sorting with unblinking eyes.

"Would you calm down? You're making _me_ nervous," James complained from her right. She simply raised one hand and waved it in annoyance, ignoring his statement. Finally, after much waiting, it was Cecelia's turn to sit on the rickety stool and have the tiny Professor Flitwick place the Sorting Hat on her bright red locks that reached her elbows. Her emerald green eyes were sparkling excitedly as the Sorting Hat silently debated where to place Kara's baby sister. She caught her twin's eye from across the room and he raised an eyebrow at her overdramatic concern and mouthed for her to face Cecelia again.

"Hufflepuff!" the Hat cried eventually. Despite the large surprise (and the fact that there was now a Weasley in every house in Hogwarts), Kara cheered loudly for her sister. Cecelia was loyal and just, exactly as the Sorting Hat had once described Hufflepuff so it was perfect for her.

"That was just shocking!" James exclaimed gleefully from beside her. She ruffled his already messy black hair and he ducked away from her scolding hand. Albus grinned.

"We kids don't do anything expected of us anymore except prank," he pointed out cheerfully. Kara smirked.

"Very true, Albus. Very true," she agreed then squealed happily as the magnificent feast appeared in front of her. Lily and Rose made faces at their close friend and cousin before digging in more elegantly. Hugo grinned teasingly at her before going back to his dinner quietly, just like he normally did.

XXX

"What's wrong Cecelia?" Kara asked in concern, seeing her younger sister with red-rimmed eyes and a quivering lip. Zack looked up from his Care of Magical Creatures research worriedly. Naturally, as she was their sister, Kara and Zack had included Cecelia in their gatherings twice a week. Their only other sibling sat down in a stiff wooden chair heavily, letting her bag fall unceremoniously to the floor. Her hair was tangled, like she'd run her fingers through it too much and her yellow tie was crooked (it was NEVER crooked).

"I got detention," she admitted in a pitifully frail voice. Kara and Zack exchanged looks, chocolate brown eyes sparkling mischievously. Both cheered at the same time, earning a harsh 'shush' from the stern looking librarian, Madame Pince (who should have been dead long ago in many people's opinions).

"It's about time, baby sister!" Kara commented ecstatically, moving to place her arm around her sister's shoulder. It was almost the end of April and Cecelia had escaped detention since then, much to Kara and Zack's disappointment.

"What was it for?" Zack asked, moving to her other side and covering Kara's arm as he too wrapped an arm around Cecelia's shoulders. Cecelia sniffed, causing Kara and Zack to roll their eyes. Their sister may have been loyal and clever, but she was a sucker at putting up with detention.

"I walked in late to Professor Slughorn's lesson and tried to argue my way out of it." Kara knew her sister was a bit of a wimp, but that was ridiculous. It was only detention.

"You'll get over it. One little detention will not kill you. Why were you late anyway?" she asked in a bored voice. Zack gave her a reproachful look and she sighed, looking down at the small figure between them. Cecelia was blushing furiously at Kara's question, causing both twins to raise their eyebrows in interest.

"Cecelia, why are you blushing?" Zack asked carefully, as though he was suppressing some kind of harsh reaction. Kara turned her snort of laughter into a very convincing cough although Zack seemed to notice her obvious cover up.

"Um, I-I-I-I, was, um, with someone," she admitted, blushing a deeper red. Kara's eyes widened as Zack's jaw fell open.

"Is this you being pathetic and it ends up being one of your friends?" Kara asked to make sure. The little girl shook her head slowly.

"I was with . . . a boy," she said as though it was a scandalous activity.

"My baby sister has a boyfriend! And she's only eleven! Oh, this is wonderful!" Kara exclaimed delightedly. Zack looked like he felt the opposite.

"No, no, NO, we're not t-t-together. We were just talking," Cecelia argued, blushing some more.

"But you like him," Kara guessed easily. Cecelia nodded.

"I do."

"Alright, cool. You have to point him out to me and I'll decide whether or not he's good enough for you and whether he can put up with Zack, Scorpius, James and Albus interrogating him. Then, if I think he can, I will let all four boys at him. Bye!" And Kara left the library after gathering her materials in search of Scorpius. She really didn't understand the Herbology homework.

XXX

"Hey gorgeous," Kara greeted Scorpius, wondering where in Hell that greeting had come from. He didn't seem to mind, his eyes drifting to the charm bracelet that she never took off then up to her happy eyes. She plonked herself down next to him outside the castle, near the Black Lake. It was the second to last day of term and the only interesting thing that had happened apart from Cecelia's first crush (whom had been firmly denied by all four of the boys set on him) were the pranks played by Zack and herself. She eyed Scorpius as subtly as possible, admiring his firm body hidden behind the crisp white shirt and Slytherin green tie. His black robe lay abandoned beside him and his grey trousers were in perfect condition. She never could understand how he stayed so neat and tidy through the day. Her uniform was crumpled slightly, her Gryffindor red tie was loosened and the top two buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing the dark skin of her throat and part of her collarbone. Her skirt was slightly twisted and had ridden up to mid thigh, not that Scorpius seemed to be complaining. Her black locks had originally been in a sleek side ponytail but she'd let them loose and they hung down her back in slightly knotted curls whilst Scorpius' hair was in lovely, shiny perfection.

"Hello Care Bear," he finally replied, looking back over the lake.

"I'm so bored," she complained, leaning her head against his shoulder. He tensed slightly but relaxed after three beats of her heart and wrapped an arm around her waist, causing her to use all her self control to restrain a shudder.

"You're so high maintenance," he commented jokingly and she weakly slapped him.

"I am not!" she protested and he grinned down at her through those lovely pink lips with those beautiful white teeth.

"Kara, you kind of are. You need constant attention."

"You speak like I am some kind of puppy."

"You would make an adorable puppy." Kara was ashamed that a deep blush lit up her face and she was thankful that Scorpius couldn't see her face properly as he'd turned back to the shining black waters of the Lake.

"If you say so," she said with a small shrug, desperately attempting to dull the blush in her cheeks without success. The feelings he sparked within her were driving her to the brink of insanity and they had to stop. She couldn't stand the thought of liking him as much as she seemed to and have him simply be there to be her best friend and carer after a full moon. Zack would have laughed his arse off if he could have heard her thoughts but she couldn't have cared less. Her brother wasn't a part of her feelings. But Scorpius was and it was very, very bad. Deciding it had to stop; she moved away from Scorpius and said she had to find someone quickly as she'd forgotten she needed their help. Her friend didn't argue as she got up and practically ran to the castle, feeling his eyes on her the whole time. It was time to talk to Rose.

**Hm, yes, it is kind of short. But I do have inspiration now so that's good. I was thinking, as a possible option for later chapters, that the TriWizard Tournament comes back. If I did decide to do that, I need help. Should I do the tasks that were in the fourth book and twist them ever-so-slightly or make up my own? I'm going to need lots of help if you choose the second option, so it would be you making them up, not me. Comments? I want to know if I should do it. Love Bianca :) x**


	12. Driving Him Insane

**Chapter Twelve**

**I just have one word: REVIEW. That is all.**

**Disclaimer – I don't own, as per usual. I do own Kara, Cecelia, Zack, Phoenix, Britney and Zena.**

"Something is very wrong with you, Kara Weasley. But I admire your determination," Rose had said when Kara approached her with the idea of the 'Get Over Scorpius and Quick' plan. She had thought it insane but had helped nonetheless. Kara knew Rose was the flirter in the family and had been through her fair share of boyfriends. That was why she went to her cousin and, on the first day of lessons, Kara put her newly learned skills into practice. She hadn't changed her appearance, nor had she wanted to, so she simply put her silky black hair in a side plait over her right shoulder, applied some simple mascara and clear lip gloss and donned her Gryffindor uniform, making her skirt a tad shorter as she did every year yet it still came halfway between mid thigh and her knees.

"Hello Christopher," she greeted, licking her lips for effect. Said boy had beautiful black hair that was somewhat spiked up with gel and he had stunning electric blue eyes. His skin was pale although didn't match Scorpius' tone and he had a welcoming smile. When she had picked her target, she had made sure to pick one that was taller than her and he met the criteria, rising over her five foot two inches (she didn't know who to blame her shortness on) by almost four inches.

"Hey Kara," he replied easily although he looked a little shocked at her approach. She grinned and helped herself to breakfast – French toast with fried eggs and a large goblet of pumpkin juice. Rose had tried to talk her into eating less but Kara had simply stated that quidditch kept her fit and she didn't need to lose weight, being happy with her curves.

"So, what have you got today?" she asked, remembering Rose's tip to cover the simple stuff first. He pulled his recently acquired schedule closer as Kara looked at hers on her lap.

"Double Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, free period, Transfiguration and Herbology," he read out, eyeing the timetable with a grimace. Kara giggled and looked at her own schedule.

"Oh, I have the same! Ah, I hate Herbology," she grumbled. Herbology was not the best thing to have for her last lesson. She would be tired out and bored from the rest of the day and she would probably get attacked by a vicious plant.

"Why do you hate it?" Christopher asked then took a bite of his normal buttered toast. Kara glowered down at her parchment.

"I just don't understand it. Do you?" she asked carefully and was thrilled when the boy nodded.

"I could help you, if you like. I mean, you don't have to say yes I just thought that maybe-."

"I'd love that," she told him before he fell off his bench from stuttering. He gave her a cheerful grin.

"Good. I'll meet you in the library after lessons?" he asked and she nodded eagerly, making sure to hold his arm.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. She couldn't cheat her way through OWL year, she knew that. Understanding Herbology instead of copying or getting others to write her homework was necessary. They both stood and walked to their Double Potions lesson, unaware of the murderous stare following them.

XXX

Scorpius fumed as he stomped along the seventh floor corridor, heading in the direction of the Room of Requirement. It was November and Kara was already on her sixth fling of the year. It was driving him mad! He hated sitting on the outside, watching as she flirted with various guys then went to hold the hand of another, sharing sweet glances and chaste kisses. She was acting like Rose! And he didn't understand it. She had been different ever since she'd practically run away from him that day by the Lake. Her appearance hadn't changed besides the fact that she held herself with more confidence – but her attitude had. She was far from mean and she remained relatively the same person but she flirted. A lot. And it killed him. She still spoke to Scorpius, yes, but she did it differently. She acted strangely, more distant towards him and he couldn't fathom why. As his feelings towards her strengthened, any feelings she had towards him seemed to weaken. Zack was just as confused about the situation as Scorpius and showed it plainly as he openly stared at his twin during mealtimes and told Scorpius of attempted questioning during their family time. Even Cecelia had been caught gazing intently at her older sister but the second year stayed out of it, content to be with her Hufflepuff friends and ignore the strange behaviour of Kara.

"I guess it's just not working out." Speak of the devil and she shall appear. Kind of. Scorpius heard Kara's voice from around the corner. From what he could guess, she was talking to someone right in front of where the blonde had been heading and that irked him. Even outside of classes and mealtimes, she found ways to torment him. He would have liked to believe that it was unknowing but he wasn't so sure.

"I thought it was going ok." Scorpius restrained a hearty snarl with difficulty. That voice belonged to Kara's latest prick: Matthew Stevenson. He was what most girls who'd yet to shag him called 'a tall, blonde and gorgeous guy with such intelligence' and what all girls who'd already shagged him called 'a beast in bed but an utter jackhole'.

"No, it's really not. I'm sure Candy would be perfectly available to get you over this heartbreak. Bye Matthew." Scorpius heard the bastard Ravenclaw walk off and smirked. It was obvious through the break up and her words that Kara held the power and that impressed Scorpius. But he wondered why she did it. Kara, from what he heard, was always the one to end things and then start them up with someone new. He heard footsteps heading in his direction and was ashamed to admit that he instantly knew that they belonged to Kara. Feeling the urge overwhelm him, he waited until she was about to walk past the wall he'd been pressed into when eavesdropping then snatched her arm, pulling her close and pinning her between himself and the wall. Kara's eyes were wide with fear then apprehension as she took him in.

"Do you . . . have any idea . . . how hard it is to watch you with other guys? Do you?" he asked in a husky voice. Kara looked petrified as he leaned over her and Scorpius had no idea what he was doing at all. Her intoxicating scent was attacking his nose, her beautiful eyes were making him blind to anything else around him and all he could hear was her soft yet sharp breathing.

"Scorpius, what is wrong with you?" she demanded harshly and Scorpius smirked again, seeing her power shine through her fear.

"_You_ are what is wrong with me. I can't handle being around you anymore, knowing that you have another guy, another person to hold hands with and care about you. I see you with those guys and it makes me wonder why. Why do you go through them like Sugar Quills? Why do you pick the ones that the airheads in our year pick? Why don't you pick me?" he whispered and her eyes widened. That action was quickly followed by his breath cutting off and him stumbling backwards as the reality hit him and he realised what he'd just admitted to her. Blushing in a way that would have embarrassed his father, Scorpius began gaping like a goldfish in an attempt to cover up his slip of the tongue. Kara raised a hand to silence him and took a step forward, leaving about half a metre between them.

"Are you . . . jealous?" she asked uncertainly, as though she wasn't aware someone could feel that towards or about her. Scorpius froze as he acknowledged the green eyed monster in his head.

"Yes," he breathed, barely audible to his own ears. Yet, by her slightly startled expression, Kara had heard. Surprising him marginally, she took another step forward.

"Why?" she asked and Scorpius almost groaned at the adorable look of confusion on her face as her head cocked to the side and her brow furrowed.

"I-I-I can't," he stuttered and moved to run. But she stopped him and he cursed her chaser reflexes.

"Scorpius, you are not leaving until you explain that little rant of yours and why you are jealous." Her tone, whilst demanding, still held the uncertainty from previously and he sighed, turning back to face her questioning eyes.

"Because I wish I was them." Those simple words caused Kara's hand to drop and her jaw to mimic the action. "I would just wish to last longer." His eyes fell to the ground and he cursed himself internally. He was acting like a pathetic little girl younger than Cecelia (who would have very much laughed at his situation). A soft finger under his chin urged his head up and he looked into Kara's sparkling eyes, noticing the faint blush on her cheeks.

"I was going out with them because I thought I couldn't have you. I believed you never had and never would feel what I feel so I tried to bury it and move on. My intention was never to make you jealous. I picked the ones the airheads pick because I would spend so much time snogging that I wouldn't have much time to think about you although imagining you on the receiving end of my lips became a habit. I didn't pick you because I thought you weren't an option. If I had any idea of your feelings . . . well, I would have probably chickened out and-." Scorpius placed a single finger on her lips, a small smile lighting his face.

"So, the feelings we believed to be unreturned, are really mutual," he summarised as calmly as he could muster and Kara nodded slowly. Scorpius removed his finger from her lips and let his hand slide down her arm until his right hand was linked with her left. Then, with a small tug, he closed the distance between them and he placed the smallest kiss on her mouth. It was short, sweet and unbearably addictive. Seemingly feeling the same, Kara let go of his hand and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her lips firmly against his. Scorpius eagerly returned her fervour and wrapped his arms around her wonderfully curvy hips, parting his lips slightly. She tasted better than he ever could have imagined.

"Merlin, I have waited so long to do that," Kara whispered when they parted. Scorpius smiled slightly and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"Please do me the honour of being my girlfriend – officially, properly and completely," he replied, almost rolling his eyes at the cheesy sounding request. It flew from his head instantly when Kara nodded her reply.

"Of course." And she kissed him lightly once more. Five years of building tension, growing feelings and intense nagging from mutual friends were finally resolved in that one moment. Scorpius had never been so relieved, happy and dazed in any other second of his life. But he wasn't complaining.

**Finally, I reached the point I wanted to! I feel so much better now. Unfortunately, this is the last chapter for a while as I'm going away tomorrow. I will miss you guys! But I'll be writing furiously when I'm out there as I won't have internet to distract me. Love Bianca :) x**


	13. Happy in Hogsmeade

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Let's call this a tester to see if everyone is still reading this. I am SO SORRY that I haven't updated this in a long time but I feel more inspired. If people are still reading, I am grateful.**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter but I do own Kara and anyone else you don't recognise. Oh, and the plotline.**

Kara woke up on the morning of the February Hogsmeade visit with a large smile on her face. She had been with Scorpius for three months and her nightmares of sharp teeth and eerie howls at the bright, round full moon had been mostly rejected by her subconscious in favour of memories of her time with Scorpius. There were dreams of various escapades they'd both taken but the most prominent were the dreams of the day they'd finally gotten together and confessed their very mutual feelings for the other. Their relationship was as close to Kara's definition of perfect as she believed anything could be – Scorpius was her other half. He treated her like royalty. She had believed him to be at his sweetest when he brought her chocolate pancakes, orange juice with no pulp and a bowl of some kind of fruit after a full moon but he exceeded her expectations hugely. He continued bringing her food but he wouldn't wait until half past eight to show up. Somehow, he'd managed to create a deal with Madame Carey that allowed him in before the hospital wing visiting hours started and so he arrived promptly at seven thirty after every full moon yet didn't wake her up if she was sleeping. He just waited for her. And he was there to take her back to her common room after her release, often surprising her along the way with a trip to the kitchens or a walk around her favourite area of the Black Lake – far away from the Forbidden Forest. She had never known anyone so willing to listen to her and offer advice without pressing too hard or sounding a bit obsessed. She had never known anyone so willing to just sit with her whilst she finished an essay, offering help here and there (with an abundance of help in Herbology). He was what every girl dreamed of having in a boyfriend and she knew he wouldn't treat anyone else the same as her. Of course, naturally, she still had her insecurities. She was scarred – both mentally and physically – which were hard to deal with and even harder to look at and she hated it. There were the jagged lines of where the werewolf's teeth had gouged into her shoulder, the long line where she'd scratched herself too hard and the fact that, even though dreams of Scorpius were prominent, nightmares of the most horrific night of her life still haunted her occasionally. A recent one had consisted of her attacking Scorpius and it had taken said boy a week to get her to admit it, a further three days to get her to stop avoiding him out of pure fear and shame and then another day to calm her down enough and assure her that she was secure in the castle and there was no way she would get out of the Room of Requirement and he was wise enough to stay away from it. This reassured her but Kara knew that she was a possible danger.

"Kara, you take the Wolfsbane Potion religiously. Even if you forgot, there is no way that I, James, Albus, Zack, McGonagall and Madame Carey would all forget at once," Scorpius had told her calmly before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and letting her rest against his chest.

Yes, she had a fantastic boyfriend and a loving family. Christmas had been spent in plenty of cheer and she and Scorpius had used the holiday to grow even closer to one another. Being in a relationship with Scorpius, surprisingly, let Kara learn even more about him. Since they'd known each other since birth, she had thought she knew pretty much everything about him and vice versa. But they discovered tiny things that they hadn't told anyone else and Kara fell harder for him every single day. He had kissed her on New Year's Day (letting the entire gathered group know that they were together when, previously, they'd elected to keep it a secret). She remembered her mother dragging Uncle Draco out of the room with a determined expression and Kara later found out from Scorpius (whom Uncle Draco had then spoken to) that the conversation had been about not cheating and making sure Scorpius was not the little shit his father had been in the school. She had to laugh at that.

"Kara, you are going to be late!" Lily cried as she skidded into the room. Even though she was a year younger, Lily Potter frequented Kara's dorm. She didn't mind though – Lily was the only female member of her family in Gryffindor and it was nice to have company. Naturally, the little redhead (who was her mother's double) was already dressed with her sleek hair pulled into two adorable plaits over her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed and Kara attributed it to excitement about her date with a cute little Hufflepuff in her year that had shyly asked her out. Normally, the entire family would have cross examined him but Kara and Rose instantly vetoed the idea because the guy was so genuine and embarrassed when he asked Lily out. Rose herself had a date but that was common – she didn't like to settle down and got bored easily.

"I know, little cousin. I'm getting up right now." Knowing the previous night that she valued sleeping longer, Kara had showered the night before. So she rose from her bed and eyed her hair with a critical eye. After she ran a brush through it, the natural waves were good enough for her. Then she had to decide what to wear. The twin Weasley turned around to find her well prepared cousin already laying out an outfit on the unmade bed.

"Yes, you're very welcome. I'll be in the common room getting a protective big brother lecture from James and would appreciate a quick rescue," she said cheekily before skipping elegantly out the door and shutting it behind her. Kara shook her head in amusement at her cousin's energy before putting on the clothes chosen for her. The top was deep purple and made of silky material. It clung to her torso and fell in a v-neck over her chest. She then pulled on the black skinny jeans and purple converse. As it was chilly outside, Lily had allowed and comfortable, tight fitting jacket in white material and a black scarf that tucked in. Once Kara had checked her reflection, fluffed her hair and put only a hint of mascara on (as Scorpius preferred her natural and she was thankful for that), she hopped out of the door and downstairs, smirking at the sight of James laying down the law for his little sister. Albus was watching with unrestrained amusement but made no move to agree with either party.

"Do I have to lecture you too?" James demanded as he turned to Kara. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head, grabbing Lily. They led the way out of the common room and through the corridors, hearing James and Albus talking excitedly behind them.

"I think my dad's going to have them all day today," Kara joked, glancing behind them to see James with a mischievous look on his face. Lily laughed as she turned around again.

"Yeah, I wonder what they'll come up with this time." Things had been shockingly quiet for pranks so far that year. Zach and Kara had taken the back seat after agreeing to hand over the reins to James and Albus to see what they could do. But their silence didn't demonstrate their lack of imagination – it indicated their cunning and Kara found herself apprehensive at the thought of the prank they would eventually play on the school.

"Boo," said a silky voice in her ear and she sighed happily, turning one hundred and eighty degrees to see her boyfriend. He looked fashionably cosy in blue jeans that she just knew would make his bum look great, a snug black jacket and scarf. She knew there would be a sweater underneath the jacket and it would emphasise his firm quidditch developed muscles.

"You scared me," she joked, brown eyes meeting his blue-grey ones. He smirked that god damn attractive smirk and pulled her close, wrapped his left hand in her right. His lips pressed chastely to hers in an addictive kiss and then they separated.

"You were very nearly late," Scorpius pointed out and Kara looked around grumpily. Judging by the masses of students talking and laughing, she had missed breakfast and it was almost time to go. "Luckily for you, I saved you some food." And he held up a brown paper bag. Her eyes lit up and she marvelled once again at his thoughtfulness. The contents of the bag turned out to be a still-warm bagel with cream cheese which she munched on happily as they lined up to be signed out. Kara dumped the bag in a bin and looked up upon hearing Scorpius' laughter. His eyes were sparkling with mirth.

"What?" she asked in confusion, looking around for the source of his amusement. He shook his head at her and raised his hand, thumb brushing across the side of her lips.

"Cream cheese," he supplied before licking the filling off his finger. Kara bit her lip as Scorpius' lips wrapped around the thumb. Wow, that sight should be illegal. Fortunately, it was their turn to sign out and they did so quickly, hopping in a carriage with Albus, James, Lily and her date. It would be a good day.

XXX

"Hey dad!" Kara cried as soon as they entered the shop. Scorpius walked with a small smile as his girlfriend hugged her father warmly. As was predictable, James and Albus were nearby talking to their Uncle George and looking excitable. He rolled his eyes, knowing very well they were plotting together and looked back at Kara who had begun talking to her father, gesturing emphatically as she explained something he couldn't hear over the noise. He didn't mind though, being content just watching her. She was at her prettiest when she spoke in her opinionated voice, her cheeks slightly darker with a cheerful flush and a wide smile gracing her lips. It physically hurt to see her so broken and drained after a full moon, so he committed moments like the one he was witnessing to memory.

"You look like a stalker." Scorpius jumped about a mile in the air upon hearing his Uncle George's voice next to him. The youngest Malfoy turned to face the smirking Weasley with a resigned sigh.

"Hey Uncle George," he greeted instead of acknowledging the statement. George's grin widened as he looked over Scorpius' head.

"So, just how in love with her are you?" he asked casually and Scorpius found himself glad that he wasn't eating or drinking anything as it would have ended up all over his uncle.

"What are you-?"

"Don't play dumb, Scorpius. You're smarter than that. You are also blatantly in love with Kara. I've seen that look before – on my brother around Hermione, my other brother around Fleur and my closest brother around Phoenix."

"And?"

"Here's a radical suggestion: tell her." And George walked off, leaving Scorpius in confused, contemplative silence. No way was he following Uncle George's advice – it was too soon! They may have had feelings for each other for a while but they had only been together three months. No, he would wait a little bit.

"Hey!" Kara called as she collapsed into his side, jolting him from his thoughts. His features transformed into an affectionate smile as he looked down. Her eyes stared straight back and her lips formed that gorgeous smile again.

"Hey back," he replied, noticing Fred come up behind her and turning her so that they both faced him. Scorpius wouldn't admit it but Fred intimidated him. Come on, he was dating Fred's daughter and he was the son of someone Fred had hated in school – it didn't make for a desirable match. Scorpius then remembered that they had all grown up together and that all their parents got on well. It didn't make him feel much better.

"Scorpius, how are you?" Fred asked with a knowing look on his face as his eyes travelled from Kara to Scorpius. He swallowed nervously.

"I'm doing well, sir. And yourself?" What had come over him? He used to talk to Fred all the time and now he was calling him 'sir' and acting stiffly formal.

"I can't complain. But I need to be working now. Have fun, you two." And he disappeared like his twin had. Kara started giggling as soon as they'd been left alone in the throngs of people and he looked down at her, knowing he was about to get ribbed for calling her father 'sir'. It wasn't his fault he was bricking it.

"'Sir'?" she asked through her laughing and Scorpius just shook his head, knowing that it was pointless to defend himself. Besides, Kara looked adorable when she laughed so he didn't much care that he was getting the brunt of the teasing.

"Come on, let's get some lunch," he said and wrapped an arm securely around her shoulders. She snuggled firmly into his side as they made their way outside and Scorpius couldn't think of anything better than having her warm form pressed up against him as they walked along the streets.

**Right, so I'll leave you with that. I hope people will read this even though I am a bad author for abandoning this for so long and, if you are still reading, please leave a review. It would be much appreciated. Love and many apologies, Bianca :) x**


End file.
